Loki and the Agents of SHIELD
by TheGreatElisaMousy
Summary: Instead of being sent to Asgard after New York, Loki's handed off to S.H.I.E.L.D.. Being placed on Coulson's team is less than ideal for anyone involved. But it's this or Asgardian execution, so Loki can't really complain. Coulson, however? He can complain a lot.
1. That went better than expected

**So, this is kind of an interesting idea that I had a little while ago. Things will go well, things will go badly. But that's how life usually is for the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and that's how it usually is for Loki, so it's all really par for the course here.**

 **I'm posting this right now as kind of a... testing the waters thing. I want to see how may people really enjoy it, and if a significant amount (or, hell, maybe just a few) like it, it'll go up on my writing priorities. I know Digimon Hacked! should be up there, but I'm still suffering severe writer's block. I am SO sorry for the long wait with that, but I haven't even finished the next episode yet. So if you're a Hacked! fan... please just bear with me here.**

 **With that out of the way, here's the disclaimer you're all probably waiting for: Pretty much everything in this story (besides the plot. Or... aspects of the plot) belong to Marvel. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Avengers stuff, Loki... even much of the plot follows AoS, just with a Loki-included twist, but also some little instances of my own design. Now... on with the show~**

Despite the fact that he healed at a much higher rate than the mortals that surrounded him, Loki was still sore as he stood next to Thor, waiting for the Bifrost to take them back to Asgard, where he would no doubt be given a life sentence, if not an outright execution. As the Avengers slowly dispersed, however, nothing happened. He and Thor remained where they were.

Loki glanced over at Thor with an expectant, raised brow. He may be muzzled, but that didn't mean he still couldn't communicate.

Thor, though an idiot he was, seemed to understand the meaning behind the expression. "Oh, we're not going to Asgard," he stated. He started walking, pulling the chains that bound Loki, forcing the God of Mischief to follow.

 _ **X**_

Loki leaned against the wall, a silent observer to the argument in front of him.

"And what in the _hell_ makes you think we'll keep him?" Nick Fury, the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., asked Thor heatedly. "Were you just not paying attention this whole time? Look outside!" He pointed through the window, where cleanup crews were slowly trying to get rid of all the dust and debris. Rescue teams were searching for trapped survivors... and the bodies of those who had perished. "All of this is because of _him_!" This time, his accusatory finger found Loki himself.

Thor shook his head, surprising both the accuser and the accused. "I know Loki," he insisted. "I was raised alongside him, I know him well. And this... this does not make any sense!" He looked at Loki. "You told me, up on the Bifrost, that you never wanted the throne. Why would that have changed?"

Loki paused for a moment. Thor was more observant than he gave him credit for. However, Loki wouldn't simply fall into line like he knew his brother wanted. So he wore a nonchalant mask and simply shrugged.

"I don't believe that for a second," the blonde argued. He turned to Fury. "I know what he did to your world was unforgivable. But I do not think his will was his own. It may have been his actions, but he was not the one behind this invasion."

This time, Loki couldn't help but stare. For as long as he'd known him, Thor had never been this observant.

Fury raised a brow. "What makes you so sure he wasn't just having a bad day?"

"Because this is not like him," Thor said. "Yes, Loki can be dramatic and a bit self-righteous. But he would never go so far as to attempt to enslave an entire world."

"Why not just take him back to Asgard then?" Fury asked, fingers steepled, leaning forward on his desk. "Why do you want us to keep him so badly? I'm sure you could just as easily explain all of this to them."

"Loki will not get a fair sentencing in Asgard," Thor stated plainly. "He has done terrible things there, and no one—not even the Allfather—would give him a chance. No one would believe him, and I do not know if my word would truly be enough to pardon him."

"Define 'terrible things'."

This time, Thor hesitated. "He... took the king's position when I was banished and sent the Destroyer after me to prevent me from returning."

"The incident in New Mexico."

"Yes," Thor confirmed. "He attempted to use the Bifrost to destroy Jötunheim."

"So, he tried to kill and entire world, but trying to enslave another, that doesn't sound like him at all?" Fury asked, disbelief clear in his voice.

"There were circumstances..." Thor began before realizing that he was getting nowhere. "Please," he said, resorting to begging. "If I bring him back to Asgard, they will sentence him to death for his crimes."

"And you think we won't?"

Thor seemed to have no answer for that, which didn't surprise Loki in the slightest. He was honestly surprised the big oaf was able to last this long into the conversation. "You could make use of him!" he finally said, as though he had come up with the perfect answer to all their problems.

"And how do you figure that?" Fury asked, echoing Loki's own thoughts.

"Your primary concern is the safety of your country, yes?" Thor asked, earning a nod. "Loki can help you! If nothing else, his past actions may allow him to provide an idea of what the enemy may wish to do next. He could help you prepare."

"And what makes you think he'd even _want_ to?" Fury challenged. "Or even that he won't try to kill us all as soon as you go home?"

"There are ways of sealing his magic. He would be no different than any other Asgardian."

"Still able to bench-press a car, then," the human said. "He wouldn't need magic."

This time, Loki felt he needed to make him opinion known. He held up his shackled hand, jangling the chain a bit to get some attention. When both men were looking at him, his eyes drifted down to his muzzle before back to them. After a moment, Thor approached with the key, removing the metal contraption.

"Ah, much better." He took a brief moment to relish in the freedom before speaking. "If I _were_ to remain here... what would my restrictions be? Magic bound, I'm well aware of that. But what else?"

"Cuffed at all times," Fury answered immediately.

"Already done," Loki countered, holding up his shackled wrists.

"Heavy guard, 24/7," Fury continued. "And you'll be locked away in some deep, dark hole you can't get out of until we need you. After you're done, you go straight back in."

"Do I have a say in my own fate?" Loki looked at Thor. When there was no answer from him or Fury, he said, "I'd prefer to stay here. In Asgard, I'd be lucky if I took two steps into the palace before someone killed me. And _if_ I made it before the Allfather, he'd simply sentence me to execution."

Thor looked to Fury. "Please, consider it."

"I'll consider it," the human replied.

 _ **X**_

Fury considered, and after discussing it with several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to make them aware, he agreed. Loki could stay, as a prisoner/consultant.

"Heimdall will be watching," Thor warned Loki. "And if you've violated any of their rules..."

"He'll open the Bifrost wherever I am and drag me to the Allfather to receive my sentence, I know," Loki finished. They'd had this conversation three times within the last hour, but now that he was about to leave, Thor seemed to want to cement it, once again, into his brother's brain.

Thor rested a hand on Loki's shoulder, making the latter stiffen. "Please don't let me down, brother," he said softly before turning and walking. When he was a decent distance away, Loki could feel the energy in the air crackle before the Bifrost opened, taking Thor home. He couldn't help but wonder what story he'd end up telling Odin to stop him from sending anyone after him. Heimdall was loyal primarily to the king, so even if Thor asked for his silence, if the Allfather asked, he would have to answer honestly.

Loki would be truly surprised if this didn't blow up in their faces.

 _ **X**_

"So that little thing prevents you from using magic?" one of the guards to his cell asked. The bars, he'd been informed, were made of vibranium. The same metal as the Captain's shield, which had, if he remembered correctly, withstood a direct strike from Mjolnir.

Loki's hand raised to touch the small metal ring that encircled his neck in a similar fashion to the human jewelry known as a choker. "Indeed," he responded. "From inside this cell, I am completely harmless."

"Don't trust him," the other guard said immediately. The guard who had asked him was new. This was her first shift guarding him. The man, however, had been here for several hours the past three days in which he'd been in custody of S.H.I.E.L.D.. "He's crafty."

"'Crafty'?" Loki asked with a smirk. "While I thank you for the compliment, you've seen nothing anywhere near 'crafty' from me since I've been inside this cell." He adopted a taunting tone of voice. "Perhaps if you let me out, I can show you."

"See what I mean?" the second guard asked. He looked over as the door to the holding area opened and stood at attention when Director Fury walked in, his eye on Loki.

"Can I help you, Director?" the god asked, tone dripping with false pleasantries.

"I think we found the perfect use for you," Fury replied. "As special team that could use your... experience."

"I'm listening."

 _ **X**_

Coulson frowned to himself as he headed for Director Fury's office. He'd just finished putting together his team—Grant Ward, Jemma Simmons, Leopold Fitz, and Melinda May, much to the latter's reluctance—which he had been granted permission to do by the Director himself. Was Fury taking back his permission? Did he change his mind about the Bus?

As soon as he entered, he saw Fury at the desk, a man in one of the chairs in front of it. The man seemed oddly familiar...

"Agent Coulson," Fury greeted, and the man turned around, causing Coulson to freeze in his tracks.

Loki sat in the chair, looking inexplicably comfortable, despite the cuffs linking his hands in front of him. "Well, well," the god began in an irritatingly conversational tone. "You're looking quite well for a dead man."

Coulson ignored him. "Director, what is this?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm. "I thought he was rotting in prison on Asgard."

"That was the plan," Fury told him. "But we made a deal with Thor."

"So he's one of _us_ now?" Coulson asked incredulously.

Fury actually laughed. "Not by a long shot," he reassured him. "Think of him as more of a tool to use when you need him. His... unique expertise could be useful to you."

"And what expertise is that, trying to take over the world and killing government agents?"

"Among other things," Loki commented, looking not at all affected by the other man's words.

"He's got a perspective none of us have," Fury informed Coulson. "We haven't been on the other side of the line, we can't _really_ get in their heads. But Loki pretty much lived on that side. He knows these people better than we ever will."

"And, what, he's just going to cooperate with us?" Coulson argued.

"I don't have much choice, really," Loki stated. "If I cease to be useful, I'll be returned to Asgard and a near inevitable execution." He gave a smile that reassured neither of them. "So consider me at your disposal."

 _ **X**_

Coulson had called ahead to warn May that they'd have an extra passenger. By the looks on Fitz-Simmons' faces, she'd passed on the message.

"Is that really...?" Fitz asked quietly as the god followed Coulson dutifully past. Loki smirked to himself. Oh, this would be fun.

They reached a room with metal walls, a single table with a chair on either side. Loki stood on the other side of the table, but ignored the chair.

"I don't trust you," Coulson said plainly.

"I'm aware," Loki replied.

"If you do anything— _anything_ —to make us even _think_ you're working against us, I will find a way to contact Thor and get him to drag your ass back to Asgard. You will be monitored at all times, and whenever you're not of any use to anyone, you're going to be stuck right back in here, understood?"

There was a pause. "I do have one question."

"What?" Coulson practically growled.

"What will I do should I need to relieve myself?"

Coulson answered by stalking out the door, closing it behind him.

"That went better than expected," Loki muttered to himself, sitting in the chair and looking up at the camera fixed on him. He doubted he'd enjoy this arrangement. But at least he was alive.

 **Well, that's in here for chapter one. I'll probably be writing more chapters within the next few days (this idea hit me like a freight train, so...), but like I said above, posting this is more of a test. So, if you like it, drop a review and let me know if I should continue with this in the near future.**

 **Also, big thanks to my beta, pokemon fan 98. She's got some great ideas, so I'm gonna try implementing some of them in the future (and she also helped me get over the whole 'you are your own worst critic' thing with this chapter)**

 **Alright guys, that's that, so as always...**

 **See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~**


	2. Need you to watch our special guest

**Okey doke, then, chapter two time. This is kinda gonna run episode by episode, but each chapter may not be a full episode, if that makes sense. Like, if I see a good place to end a chapter, even in the middle of an episode, I'm gonna take it. Despite that, though... these are probably going to all be significantly longer than the first chapter. They might vary dramatically, I dunno. I just write wherever the story takes me. If that means I flow into a 10,000 word chapter followed by a 3,000 word one, well... so be it.**

 **Anyway, with all that out of the way, please refer to chapter 1. Now... on with the show~**

"You're not telling me you're okay with this," May said after Coulson left the Cage, Loki sealed inside.

"I'm not," Coulson replied. "But Director Fury assigned him to us, so we're stuck with him. He can't use his magic though, and the Cage should be able to hold even someone like him."

"What does Fury expect us to do with him?"

"He said we could use him as a resource," Coulson answered. "Use him to get inside someone else's head. He 'lives on the other side of the line'. So he should have a pretty good idea of what our more extreme psychos are thinking." Before May could get a word in, he added, "You know with my luck we'll get in some deep shit pretty fast."

"And you're sure he won't screw us over?" May asked, eyes drifting back to the sealed door.

"Honestly? I'm not," he confessed. "But I guess I just have to trust his sense of self-preservation. It's this or Asgardian prison, and from what I understand, he'd be dead pretty fast."

"Why not just send him back, then?"

Coulson huffed a laugh. "Oh, yeah, Thor will love that." He grew serious again. "We're only using him when absolutely necessary. And at least in there, I can keep an eye on him."

 _ **X**_

Fitz-Simmons stared at the screen, having accessed the camera feed to the Cage. They were both having difficulty processing the fact that the man responsible for all the destruction in New York, the man who stabbed Coulson with an alien staff, was on the plane with them.

"Why is he here, d'you think?" Fitz asked.

"All I know is that it was an order from Director Fury," Simmons answered. "I don't know what he was thinking..."

"Who better to keep an eye on him than a guy with a grudge?" Ward asked from behind them, making them both jump. "No one knows better than Coulson what Loki's capable of. He's probably the most prepared for the job."

"But are we safe with him in there?" Simmons asked.

"As far as I know, he doesn't have his magic," Ward said. "And the Cage is reinforced, no one's getting out of there. Not even an Asgardian."

 _ **X**_

Loki studied the room around him. One table, two chairs, one of which he was sitting in. Solid walls, sealed door that he was sure they'd have made strong enough to keep him in. All in all, he seemed to be trapped in this little box.

His gaze drifted down the to cuffs around his wrists. Even without his magic, he could probably pick them pretty quickly, but that wouldn't really win him any points, and if he ever wanted to see anything outside this room, he'd have to play nice. Fury had stated that he was there to help in any unusual cases, but he wasn't sure what classified as 'unusual', nor was he sure how often that might occur. And even then, if he didn't behave, they'd probably find a way to make sure his help comes from inside this place.

His thoughts drifted to Thor. Why was he so determined to keep him alive? All Loki had done in the recent past was try to hurt—and admittedly kill—him. Why was he choosing now, of all times, to care about his well-being? And only now, only _after_ he had been pounded into the ground and received a severe wound to his pride, did Thor realize that he may not be the one at fault for all of this?

Before his mind could drift to the Void, he decided to go over what else he knew. If he'd seen everyone on the plane on his way in, then there were three, not including Coulson. Two of them were so young, though, and the other seemed more ready for battle, so there had to be a fourth to control the plane. He believed Coulson had called it 'the Bus'.

Loki didn't completely understand human age rates, but he assumed the two young ones couldn't be more than 30. They definitely weren't there for any kind of battle.

He didn't like the fact that the pilot was a wildcard in all this. He had no idea who he or she was, much less whatever training they would have. Loki didn't like not knowing.

A few minutes later, he felt the Bus begin to move. He doubted anyone would come in to tell him where they were going or what they were doing. He was completely at their mercy.

Loki didn't like that, either.

 _ **X**_

May waited in the cockpit when her communicator went off.

"May?" Coulson said. "We've got a passenger. Need you to watch our special guest for a bit."

"One minute," she said, leaving the cockpit and heading for the Cage. If Coulson had asked her to watch Loki, that meant they needed the Cage for something. But having him out could have consequences none of them were ready for.

She just hoped Coulson knew what he was doing.

 _ **X**_

The Bus had landed and been stationary for about ten minutes before the door to the Cage opened. He glanced over to see an unfamiliar woman. She must be the pilot, then.

Before he could speak, she was grabbing his arm and pulling him from the chair. He could have very easily resisted if he wanted to, but she'd caught him off guard. "We need the space," the woman said, answering his yet unasked question.

"And I assume Coulson decided I need supervision?" he guessed.

"He's not the only one," the woman replied. As she pulled him down the hall, he caught a glimpse of Coulson and the battle-ready man bringing a girl into the Cage, a bag covering her head.

At least he could see, then.

The woman let go when they were in a corner of what appeared to be a lounge. She stood in front of him, arms crossed and looking ready to drop him should he even think of making a move against her. She'd had his back pressed against the wall, cuffed hands in front where she could see them, and blocked his only exit.

Smart woman.

It wasn't long before he grew bored again. He needed to find a way to entertain himself or he might go mad.

"I'm sure you know my name," he began conversationally. "But I'm afraid I don't know yours."

"Shut it or I'll kick you off the plane," she said.

"I doubt it would hurt much," he said simply. "We're still on the ground, are we not?"

The woman glared. "Just because Fury stuck us with you doesn't mean you're one of us, so stop trying to get so familiar."

Loki shrugged. "I was merely attempting to be polite."

 _ **X**_

Fitz-Simmons studied the area around them. They hadn't thought they'd spend their first time in the field without supervision, but with Coulson and Ward interrogating the hacker girl and May keeping an eye on Loki, there wasn't anyone left.

After deploying the dwarfs and surveying the scans, Simmons moved to a part of the wreckage and picked up a piece of strange looking metal.

"What is that?" Fitz asked as she turned to show him.

"I don't know," she replied. "But whatever it is, it's not of this Earth."

"You think... you think Loki might know?" Fitz asked after a moment.

Simmons considered. She had to admit, she wasn't a fan of the man's presence among them, but if he could be useful... "May?" she asked hesitantly through her communicator. "Could you... bring Loki to the lab? We found something, and I think... there's a chance he might know what it is."

 _ **X**_

"Coulson?" May asked through the communicator when she got off the call with Simmons. "Fitz-Simmons found something, and they think Loki might know about it." Loki perked up at the mention of his name. "Should I take him to the lab?" Loki could just barely hear Coulson's voice on the other end, but he had no idea what he was saying. "Understood." She looked at Loki. "We're taking a walk." And that was all the warning he got before her vice grip returned to his arm.

"I can walk on my own, thank you," he said, wrenching out of her grip this time. He knew he had to behave, but he refused to continue to be manhandled like this.

May glared, weighing her options. She could waste time arguing with Loki, or she could just lead him down to the labs with a close eye instead. She chose the latter.

They weren't left waiting long before Fitz-Simmons returned, Simmons holding a strange piece of metal in her gloved hand. She looked skittish as Loki turned his gaze to her. "Fitz-Simmons, I presume?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Uh, Fitz," she said, nodding back at Fitz.

"Simmons," he added, nodding at her.

"Now that pleasantries are over, what do you have?" May asked, clearly irritated. She hadn't wanted to put this genocidal madman anywhere near the rest of the team.

"R-Right!" Simmons said, as though she had forgotten the item she held. She looked at Loki. "Do you... do you know what this is?"

Loki took it from her hand, examining it more closely. Running his fingers over the damaged surface, he said, "It appears Chitauri. I believe it would have come from their armor, though I could not tell you about the fluid inside."

"The what?" Simmons asked, snatching it back. Loki didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused.

May looked back at Loki. "Alright, now that you've stopped being useful, back in the Cage."

"Ah, so your little mystery guest has gone, has she?" he queried.

She didn't answer.

 _ **X**_

Loki stared up at the camera focused on him, curious as to what the team must be thinking. He figured Coulson would be stunned beyond belief that he was actually helpful—though he didn't know what Simmons did with his information. But the fact that he cooperated would probably throw the man for a loop. The thought almost made him smile.

He could tell he still intimidated Fitz-Simmons. The only reason Simmons had had a lapse in judgment and snatched the Chitauri metal from him was because she had gained interest in this 'new scientific discovery'. He still hadn't had any contact with the man, who he'd managed to learn was named Ward. And May... she was definitely a force to be reckoned with. He may have the advantage of strength and durability, but without his magic and stuck in cuffs like the prisoner he was, she most likely held the advantage.

The door opened and May stalked in. Speak of the devil...

"Just because you helped us, doesn't mean we trust you," she said.

He raised a brow. "I'm aware. You came in here to tell me that?"

"No," she said. "I came in here to tell you that if you make one move against anyone on this team... god or not, I will make you regret it."

He wore an expression of mock-insult. "Why Agent May, I behaved myself quite well among Fitz-Simmons, did I not?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You're the God of Mischief, Loki. If you're up to something..."

"I would promise I'm not," he began, "but I know my word means nothing on this plane."

"Thor might be dense enough to trust you, and Fury may be crazy enough to listen to him, but don't think we're making any of the same mistakes," she warned.

"I did my job," he pointed out. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Her lack of answer as she left was enough.

 **Alright, chapter 2 has come~ Again, big thanks to pokemon fan 98, big help! I had a few typos in here, but she managed to save the day~ This may seem a little funky, but I honestly didn't want to write out parts of the episode that are completely unaffected by Loki's presence. So the extent of his help on this is the whole figuring out what the metal was.**

 **See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~**


	3. Oops?

**Okay, guys, chapter three. I hope this one will be a little more interesting, but we shall see, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: refer to chapter 1**

"Are we telling Skye about Loki?" May asked, looking at Coulson. The young woman was still loading all her things on the Bus, and this needed to be discussed.

Coulson shook his head. "No," he replied. "She might be a consultant, but she's not S.H.I.E.L.D., and this whole thing has been kept very hush hush. So unless she absolutely has to know, she's staying in the dark."

"And if she finds out?" Ward asked. "We can't guarantee she won't do something stupid like let that megalomaniac out."

"No one's that stupid," Coulson told him. He looked at May. "But just in case... keep an eye on him."

May nodded. "Alright."

 _ **X**_

Simmons looked anxiously over at Coulson before looking back at Fitz. "Maybe you should tell him..." she started.

"I'm not telling him, it was your idea!" Fitz countered.

Simmons frowned, looking for a counter-argument. She and Fitz had talked a bit about this after they'd received the report of an 0-8-4, and while they thought it was somewhat of a good idea, they weren't too sure Coulson would agree.

"What was your idea?" Skye asked from behind them.

Simmons gulped. She knew she couldn't lie, so she looked to Fitz for help. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "To, uh, check over some of our equipment again."

"But he might get annoyed, since we've gone over it several times already," Simmons said quickly, hoping Skye believed her.

"Why don't you just check it?" she asked. "I mean, you guys are the super smart scientists, and it's your equipment."

"B-But he had a specific inventory, and we... want to make sure we didn't forget anything," Fitz said.

"And who better to know than Coulson himself, right?" she asked with an awkward laugh.

Skye raised a brow at them, but said no more. When she walked off, they both sighed with relief.

"So..." Simmons said.

Fitz just shook his head. " No. Your idea, you ask."

Simmons frowned, but realizing the debate had been settled, she walked over to Coulson. "Um... Coulson?" she began, getting his attention.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Well, this is an 0-8-4..." she started, unable to look him in the eye. "And considering the last one was Thor's hammer... I was thinking it might be a good idea if maybe... we brought Loki in on this?"

Coulson's expression hardened. "No," he said with emphasis. "I don't care that he helped a little bit last time, I don't care that Fury gave him to us, any help he's giving us, he's giving us from inside the Cage. And whatever we find, he's not even touching it. The last thing we need is him getting his hands on another alien mind-control staff."

 _ **X**_

Loki had counted the number of tiles in the Cage three times by the time he felt the Bus start to move again. He'd no idea why they'd stopped for a while again, but of course, no one was telling him anything. He briefly wondered if it would always been like this, or if they might eventually at least let him out of this box every once in a while. With Coulson in charge, he doubted it, but a man could dream.

He wondered about that piece of Chitauri metal he'd been told to inspect. He was sure Fitz-Simmons had figured out what that liquid inside was—they certainly appeared capable enough—but he himself had no idea. What could a human use Chitauri metal for, and why would they want to? His first thought, of course, was armor, but the piece he'd been shown didn't look like it couldn't have come from anything of the sort unless it was carefully removed with expert precision. And with Chitauri metal being quite durable, he doubted there were many human tools that could do that. Some, surely, especially if they came from Stark, but few.

The liquid had also looked like nothing he'd ever seen before. It couldn't be Chitauri, so it had to be of human make. But that once again begged the question: what was its use?

The door opened and he once again expected to see Agent May. Instead, he was surprised to see Agent Ward instead. Though he appeared no less hostile than his last visitor.

"Agent Ward," Loki said. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure." Then it clicked. "Ah, Agent May is piloting, is she not?" When Ward didn't answer, he continued, "There must be some reason you've come here other than to just stand there and glower at me. So what do you want? Is my help required again?"

"We don't know," Ward told him. "What kinds of objects do you know of that might end up here on Earth?"

Loki raised a brow. "I'm not quite sure what you mean."

"I mean like Thor's hammer," Ward replied.

"Odin cast Mjolnir here again?" Loki asked. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised, it must be a big disappointment for Thor to return without me."

"The hammer isn't here," the human told him. "But we picked up the signature of another strange object. Thought you might know something about that."

Loki looked at him with a blank expression. "Agent Ward, I'd been missing for months until coming to Midgard, which I tried to invade, and then Thor pleaded with your leader and I've ended up here. Tell me when I would have had time to orchestrate such a thing."

Ward's jaw set in irritation. "Not what I meant. I was asking if you knew about any objects lingering around in space that would end up here one way or another."

"I'm sorry I'm not of much help," Loki said insincerely. "Perhaps if you were to bring it to me to inspect..."

"Not a chance," Ward told him. He strode out without another word.

 _ **X**_

They'd landed without incident, and Coulson had just left to deal with some things outside.

"Are you seeing this?" Fitz asked, showing his readings to Simmons. "It's alive."

Skye looked at the device and backed up a bit. "Wait, like, _alive_ alive?"

"It has a functioning power source," he replied.

"Sleepy's reading radionuclides, but they don't match any known isotope," Simmons said. "It's not like anything we've ever seen before." She frowned a little to herself. "I still think maybe we should have brought Loki in on this one..."

There was a beat of silence before Skye spoke. "Wait, Loki, like... 'Loki of Asgard, burdened with glorious purpose'?"

Simmons looked over at Fitz for help, but he looked just as panicked as she felt. "Oops?"

 _ **X**_

"Tesseract technology?" Skye asked even as she stepped a little further back from the device. "Isn't that the thing that powered Loki's scepter?"

Coulson's eyes flickered toward Fitz-Simmons before looking back at her. "Yes..." he answered, hoping she wasn't going to ask what he felt like she was going to.

"So wouldn't it be a good idea to bring Loki in on this?" Skye asked. "I mean, if he knows Tesseract stuff..."

Fitz-Simmons shrunk back a little at the glare Coulson gave them. "You two, we're talking about this later." He looked at Skye. "You remember when you asked me if I took a bullet?"

"Yeah...?"

"The real hit I took was that Tesseract-powered staff to the back," Coulson replied. "I was only gone for a few seconds, but that doesn't change the fact that that man killed me. We're not using him unless absolutely necessary."

Skye took a moment to absorb the fact that Coulson had actually died. "But something powered by the same thing he used, something that could blow up any minute, isn't absolutely necessary?" When he didn't answer, she frowned. "Okay..."

 _ **X**_

"So what's the deal with Loki being here, really?" Skye asked quietly as she sat down across from Ward. She figured that if she wasn't supposed to know about it, then the men they'd picked up _definitely_ weren't supposed to.

"Thor made a deal with Fury," Ward told her. "We keep Loki instead of sending him up to Asgard, he stays with us for when we need him. I don't know why the director assigned him to us, when he _knows_ Coulson's history with him, but well... he's here to stay now."

"And I wasn't supposed to know because...?"

"You're not officially S.H.I.E.L.D.," he replied. "As far as I know, not even many people in S.H.I.E.L.D. know about this little arrangement."

"So basically, he's another secret you guys are hiding," Skye said. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Why do you wanna know?" Ward asked with a raised brow.

"Just curious."

 _ **X**_

Simmons looked at the monitor, wondering whether or not to turn the speaker on. She knew Coulson wanted to keep Loki far away from this, but...

"It was a direct order, Simmons," Fitz told her, seemingly reading her mind.

She sighed. "I know." She watched the God of Mischief leaning back in the chair, staring at the camera, as though he knew they were watching him. "And I know all the things he did, I do, but... he hasn't really made a move against us since he's been here."

"He hasn't really had a chance to," Fitz replied. "He's either been in there or under May's supervision. But he might still be plotting something. Y'know, for if we let our guard down."

Hearing movement outside the lab, she quickly turned the camera feed off. If it was one of Reyes's men, they weren't supposed to know, and Simmons wasn't going to be the one to blow the horn a second time. Of course, all thoughts of Loki disappeared when the men came in for them.

 _ **X**_

Loki's eyes widened as he felt the plane begin to violently shake. His chair tipped, knocking him to the floor. "What is going on?!" he yelled, knowing full well there was a microphone in the camera they used to watch him. Panic gripped his chest as he realized what was happening.

The Bus was starting to fall.

He was jostled around the room, but kept his focus on the wall opposite him, hoping to chase away any visions of the vast blackness that had claimed him for so many months after his fall from the Bifrost. He didn't want to think about it.

"Consider it a quake," he muttered to himself, even as he was knocked side to side in the room. "Simply the earth moving below." But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't force himself to believe. They were falling. On the bright side, he mused, at least this wouldn't be followed by months of torture.

 _ **X**_

"Ward?" Coulson said when the plane stabilized. "Go check on our little guest. Make sure he hasn't died."

Ward nodded and left.

Skye looked at Coulson curiously. "I thought you didn't care about him."

"I don't," the man replied. "But I also don't want to be the one to tell Thor his little brother died on our watch."

"Oh, good point."

 _ **X**_

Ward's hand went to his gun when he saw that Loki wasn't in the chair. He relaxed, however, when he saw Loki laying on the floor, disheveled and wide eyed. When he heard the door open, the man looked over, staring up at Ward. He made no move to stand.

"What happened?" Loki asked, and Ward noticed that it wasn't his typical bored or taunting tone. If anything, he sounded slightly shaken.

"We got hijacked," Ward said simply. "We blew a hole in the side of the plane."

"Oh." Loki watched him go as the statement sunk in. As the door closed, he exclaimed, "You did _what_?!"

 **Another 'clip' chapter. I promise you, the entire story won't be like this. But like I said last week, I don't really want to write out the entire episode when Loki's not in much of it. I think next chapter is going to have a little more involvement, but we'll see. Also, I have a headcanon that the fall from the Bifrost gave Loki a fear of falling from extreme heights. Like the altitude the Bus was at. And as always, big thanks to my beta, pokemon fan 98! (The whole 'first time Loki actually expressed anything besides being a cocky shit or calmly indifferent being when the Bus gets a hole blown in it' was her idea)**

 **See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~**


	4. You'll need my help

**Alright, here we are at chapter 4. I hope you guys enjoy it, but that's all up to you.**

 **Disclaimer: refer to chapter 1**

" _Changing course. Briefing in three._ "

Loki glanced up at the speaker. He couldn't believe it, but he'd grown bored enough to wonder what that briefing would be about. He doubted it would matter much to him, since he'd only assisted on one mission. And even then, he wasn't given context. Just asked 'what is this?'

He hoped that there'd be _something_ to do soon or he'd go out of his mind.

 _ **X**_

Skye looked down at the thick binder May had handed her. "Do you want me to bench press this?" she asked.

"Read it," May said with what Skye interpreted as a very small, amused smile. "Every communication out of HQ since they decided to transfer Dr. Hall."

Skye almost groaned as May walked away. "Hang in there, doc," she muttered. "It's gonna be a while."

She started heading for her bunk when a thought occurred to her. They probably needed this figured out fast, and it'd take a while to go through all of this on her own. But the team had an extra resource, so... why not use him?

It didn't take her long to get to the Cage door, but all she could do was stare at it for a solid two and a half minutes. Just beyond that door was a genocidal psychopath. And she was about to willingly walk in there with him. She took a deep breath. _Come on, Skye,_ she told herself. _Just go for it._ With that, she opened the door.

She didn't even have to look to know he was staring at her. When she did look at him, she was a little surprised. She knew he'd killed so many people, and a lot of sources said he was bat-shit insane and that he looked at humanity like they were insects. So she was not expecting the calm, normal-looking man, if not for the very alien clothes.

"So, you're Loki," she stated bluntly.

He nodded before tilting his head slightly. "I'm afraid I haven't had the pleasure," he said, and she was once again caught off guard at how _normal_ he sounded.

"Skye," she introduced herself. She realized she was still standing by the door, so she closed it, and walked slowly toward the table and the chair opposite the alien.

"You needn't be afraid, Skye," he said with a tone of amusement. "I don't bite." His eyes were drawn to the binder in her hands. "What is that?"

She set it down and took a breath. He was still handcuffed, and the camera was on, so everyone would know if he did something. Wait...

"Crap," she said, throwing her head back. Loki simply raised a brow, to which she replied, "I'm gonna get in so much trouble for coming in here."

Loki looked from her to the files and back again. "Well," he began. "You obviously came in here to ask me _something_. If you're already in trouble, might as well make use of the time you have. I ask again, what is that?"

"Right. So, there's this S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist, Dr. Hall, that got kidnapped while he was being transported somewhere," she explained. "But nobody except S.H.I.E.L.D. was supposed to know when and where he was being moved."

"There must be an inside man, then," Loki stated.

Skye nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "That's what we're thinking." She tapped the binder. "These are all the communications from HQ since they decided they were gonna transfer him. May wants me to read them, see if I can figure out who the mole might be. But this..." She opened it, frowning at the top page. "This is a lot for one person."

"So you decided to utilize the resource you have at your disposal while everyone else is busy," Loki guessed. "Smart."

She smiled a bit before frowning again. "They're probably gonna figure out I'm here soon. We gotta work fast."

Loki simply replied by taking the top few sheets.

 _ **X**_

They made it a surprising thirty minutes before Coulson came storming in. Since she'd been on the Bus, Skye had never seen him this pissed. "You. Out." She hastily grabbed the files she and Loki had been reading before leaving, but not before sending an apologetic look to Loki over her shoulder. Though it meant little in the long run, he appreciated the gesture.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Coulson asked him.

Loki rose from his seat. "You gave her far too much work to do in such a short time. I had nothing else to do. As all of you love reminding me, I'm a resource, but you seem very reluctant to ask for my help."

"I wonder why that is?" the agent shot back. "You ran me through with a spear, Loki. Forgive me if I don't trust you with my team."

"You can't keep this up forever," Loki said. "You must know that sooner or later, Thor will be coming to check up on me. And that oaf is inexplicably attached, so..."

Coulson's eyes narrowed. "Fine. Did you find anything?"

"Nothing of note," he replied. "My best guess is that one of your communications was intercepted by some unknown third party. Good luck."

 _ **X**_

"That was stupid and reckless!" Coulson told Skye. "Even cuffed and without magic, Loki could have killed you easily."

"But he didn't," Skye protested. "He was actually pretty decent, and he helped. I mean, we didn't learn much, but he helped me get through the logs." She could see the conflict on Coulson's face. He didn't want to rely on Loki for anything, but he couldn't deny that the alien had helped her when she asked. Granted, he didn't have much choice, but he hadn't put up a fight about it, either.

She understood why Coulson had such an issue with Loki. She just hoped that eventually, he'd be able to put it aside and realize how much he could actually help them.

 _ **X**_

Having gotten everything ready, Skye could only wait until they landed. She was excited for her first undercover mission, but at the same time, she was nervous. She didn't know how to act at some fancy party like this. Granted, it wasn't _too_ fancy, but considering she'd lived in a van, it didn't take much. She just hoped she wouldn't mess it all up.

Then it occurred to her. She'd heard that before he went all psycho-bonkers, Loki had been an Asgardian prince. He probably had to put up with stuff like that all the time. Meaning he'd probably know _exactly_ what she needed to do.

She didn't even think twice before pulling out her laptop and hacking into the feed from the Cage's security camera. Connecting her headset, she said, "Hey, Loki, can you hear me?"

Loki glanced up at the camera. "I would have thought Coulson would have grounded you for that little stunt earlier," his voice came through the headset clearly.

She laughed. "No, but I did get yelled at. Anyway, I have to go undercover soon at some fancy party, but I don't know the first thing about fancy parties. Any tips?"

"Never let anyone think you don't belong," he said immediately. "They'll notice immediately and hone in on you until you break."

"Oh, that's reassuring. Speaking from experience?"

Loki ignored her. "What kind of party is it?"

"A shareholder's gathering," she replied.

"You realize I've no idea what that is," he stated plainly.

Sky frowned. "Well, it's like... sort of a high society thing."

"That doesn't help me."

"Sorry..." She thought for a minute. "So just kinda... strut my stuff? Don't look like an idiot?"

"Exactly."

"Thanks," she replied, hoping that little bit of advice would be useful. "And sorry about earlier. Didn't mean to get you in trouble with Coulson."

She could see him shrug. "It was to be expected."

"I'll, uh... I'll let you know how it goes," she told him. "You know, after I get back."

"Looking forward to it," he said, and she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

 _ **X**_

Skye was, quite possibly, one of the most interesting mortals Loki had ever met. She'd only expressed any fear of him for a few seconds before getting straight down to business. And she was actually fairly kind to him, which was unexpected. That, coupled with the fact that she broke the monotony of being trapped in a windowless box, made him actually curious as to what would happen. He _was_ looking forward to hearing how it went, if just to break his boredom more than anything else.

He went over everything they'd gone through in his head, just to see if they might have missed something. All the communications seemed standard—or at least, what Loki assumed to be standard. He wasn't too well versed in these kinds of government scenarios. He'd tried to immerse himself in politics back on Asgard—gods knew one of them had to and it definitely wasn't going to be Thor—but that was Before. Before his entire world was shattered.

He took a long, deep breath. He had to stop before his mind went down dangerous routes. He had to stop thinking of what had been, what could have been... He'd been honest with Thor on the Bifrost, he hadn't wanted the throne. He'd had no desire to rule. Odin had brought them up with the belief that they were both born to be kings. Loki had always interpreted that to mean that Thor would be Odin's successor, but that he would be by his side as an advisor, guiding Thor in the correct directions when his impulsive nature began to stir up trouble. But as the years went on, it became clear that that would not be the case. Loki may have been a son of Odin—or so he'd believed—but he was just barely above the higher-class warriors, such as Sif and the Warriors Three, in status.

But now, After... He tried to clear his thoughts. He had to stop thinking of Before and After. He just had to keep thinking of now.

 _ **X**_

The time for mission briefing had come, and when Skye leaned against the table, she noticed a button. Next to it was a small speaker. Considering they had a guest that may sometimes need to be informed of the mission proceedings, she had a good idea of what it did. Very casually, as though she were adjusting her stance, she swept her hand across the button, pressing it as her hand passed over.

"Skye will walk in the front door," Coulson began, pulling up a diagram of the building. "The only external access point to Quinn's underground facility is from a beach cove. A two-man extraction team could slip in there, but it's not easy. Fitz-Simmons." He looked at the two of them expectantly.

Fitz moved around the table to the diagram. "The perimeter is surrounded by a twenty-foot high neodymuim laser grid. Touch it and... you're toast."

As he moved back to his original position, Coulson said, "Dead toast. The only way to disable the grid is to crack the system and trigger a reboot. This would give the team three seconds to cross. Of course, Quinn's too smart to allow any wireless access on his property."

"That's where I come in," Skye guessed, glancing quickly at the speaker before looking up at Coulson. She sure hoped Loki was listening.

 _ **X**_

Loki looked up at the camera and speaker curiously. It sounded like a mission briefing, but no one had directly addressed him. Perhaps Skye had decided to clue him in without them knowing. He smirked at the thought.

" _Yes. Working compact—holds up under X-ray,_ " Simmons was explaining.

" _Desert Rose,_ " Fitz added. " _To match your complexion._ " Loki almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it. " _But, oh, what's this? A readout, okay? Turns green if you're in close enough proximity to a computer to gain wireless access._ "

" _When it does, you just drop this nearby and walk out,_ " Simmons jumped in immediately. Loki took a moment to picture Skye walking through a party, pulling out a compact, and just dropping it before leaving. The image was made all the more ridiculous by a backdrop of the Asgardian palace.

" _We'll do the rest,_ " Simmons promised. " _Easy as pie._ "

" _Or it will be,_ " Agent Ward butted in, and he didn't sound too pleased. " _If you stick to the plan._ "

" _Got it,_ " Skye replied. " _Plan, green, drop, walk... pie._ " How eloquent.

There was a long period of the sound of various movements before Coulson finally said, " _Alright, team, suit up._ "

 _ **X**_

It was quite some time before he heard anything of interest again. There was Skye's voice, but through two speakers it was nearly unintelligible. May's voice came through clearly, though. " _Wife's name's Nadrah,_ " she was saying. After a moment, she added, " _Twin sons._ "

" _How's she doing?_ " he could just barely hear Fitz whisper.

" _She's good,_ " Simmons and, to Loki's surprise, May replied. Agent May hadn't seemed like the type of person to give out praise like that to new recruits. And he knew for a fact that he'd been on the Bus longer than Skye had. He briefly wondered if he'd ever be on any kind of field mission. He couldn't believe he'd grown bored enough to contemplate it. But at this point, he'd probably take anything over spending the rest of his extensive life in this little metal box. Remembering the look on Coulson's face during their argument the previous day, however, he highly doubted it.

He heard more of Skye's muffled voice for a bit before Simmons spoke, clearly confused. " _What are you doing?_ " Once again, Skye spoke, and then there was silence. No one was panicking, and the tone of her voice had sounded calm, so that must have meant that so far, at least, everything was going according to plan.

Then again, Loki knew from experience how fast that could go downhill with the wrong variable.

" _That seemed to go well,_ " May eventually said. And once again, more Skye that he couldn't understand, to his increasing frustration.

There was another long silence, and Loki had to resist the urge to ask what was going on. He hated this kind of ignorance, but he figured that as soon as he spoke up, they'd turn off the speaker and he'd be completely cut off. Leaving him to once again face his boredom.

Finally... " _Eh, check for a keypad,_ " Fitz suggested. Skye must have found herself at a door with no proper lock, then. He hated that he could only hear one side of the conversation. All it did was leave him confused. After Skye spoke again, Fitz responded, " _No, not over the phone._ "

" _Is there a reception desk?_ " May asked.

'Reception desk,' Loki mouthed to himself, trying to figure out May's play. No lock, no keypad... perhaps an activation mechanism?

There was silence on their end, and only occasional responses to something from Skye. She sounded a bit nervous.

"What's going on?" he asked before he could stop himself.

 _ **X**_

May, Simmons, and Fitz stared at the speaker. "Son of a bitch..." May muttered, reaching over to turn it off and cut their little eavesdropper out of the conversation.

"Wait," Simmons said, reaching out to stop her. May stopped and gave her a questioning look. The young woman simply said, "Loki? You... You know the way these sorts of gatherings go, right?"

" _I had this conversation with Skye last night,_ " he replied. " _Why?_ "

"What might one do if they found an uninvited guest?" she asked.

" _In Asgard there's a strong chance the trespasser would be killed. If not, then perhaps imprisoned. And perhaps executed later._ "

Simmons made a face. "That's barbaric!"

" _That's Asgard,_ " Loki replied simply. " _Though I doubt Skye will have to worry about any of that. Why? Has she been caught?_ "

"Possibly," Fitz said, a bit nervous.

" _Make her transmissions more clear,_ " he said. " _I can't understand what she's been saying, and if we're to get her out of whatever situation she's found herself in, you'll need my help._ "

The three looked at each other. May was about to speak when Simmons quietly spoke up. "I don't want anything to happen to Skye. And Loki wouldn't be stupid enough to lead her into a trap in front of all of us. I think we should let him."

"Fine," May finally said.

Fitz frowned. "One problem. This is as clear as we're getting it."

May glared at the speaker for a moment before walking out.

"Do you know what she's going to do?" Simmons asked. Fitz simply shook his head.

 _ **X**_

Loki didn't like that it had gone quiet. They must have rejected his help. Well, if anything happened to Skye, as tragic as it would be, in no way could it be blamed on him.

He was caught slightly off guard when the door opened and May walked in. She grabbed the chain linking his shackles and pulled him out. "Move," she said.

When they arrived in what Loki assumed was the briefing room, he saw Fitz-Simmons looking quite nervous.

" _... you have to be so guarded,_ " Skye was saying. " _So careful... what you say, what secrets you reveal..._ "

"She's going to tell him that we're listening," Loki observed.

May glared at him. "What did you just say?"

"I didn't tell her to do it," he replied. "It just seems like a logical play."

"Logical how?" Fitz asked. "He'll know what we're doing."

"But not why," Loki replied. "It will help earn her his trust." He moved toward the microphone he figured led to Skye's communication device. "Skye, if you can hear me, clear your throat."

She did, before saying, " _Sorry, something in my throat. But I was hoping that you and I could be honest with each other._ " There was a rustling of paper, and Loki assumed she'd written something to tell whoever she was talking to that they were listening. Chances were, they had a small time frame before she would take out her earpiece.

"He's bound to take you to some private quarters," he informed her. At the questioning looks he received, he replied, "This man no doubt wants to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is investigating him, and I'm fairly certain that is a conversations he will not want overheard." He turned his attention back to Skye. "When you arrive, give us as much detail as you can about the room you're in without sounding suspicious. Should he discover your true reason for being inside, you won't last long enough for anyone to step in and assist you."

"No pressure," Fitz muttered, looking worried.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have added that last bit," Simmons said. "It might make her nervous."

"She needs to know the stakes," Loki replied plainly. "Ironic that I seem to be the only one with any faith in her abilities."

"All of you, quiet!" May said sharply, listening to the radio feed.

" _My office had less space, more wheels,_ " Skye eventually said offhandedly.

"Can you see anything outside?" May asked.

" _Wow. A view of the ocean_ _and_ _a pool,_ " she commented smoothly. Loki was slightly impressed.

" _Not a bad place to do business,_ " he heard the man say. He would have to remember to ask about that later. Most likely Skye, as she seemed to be the one most likely to give him a straight answer. And in order to get that answer, he had to make sure she got out of there.

"Got the dispatch leaking Hall's location," May told Fitz-Simmons, ignoring Loki for a quick moment. "User's an alias."

"Oh, can you track the DHCP server—" Fitz began.

"Trace is running," May cut him off. "But it'll take time." She looked to Loki, who seemed to be paying the audio feed the most attention for some reason. "Our girl?" she asked.

"Doing quite well," Loki replied. "There can only be so many private rooms in a facility like this with a view of an ocean and pool." He paused as there was a click and the screen went blank. "Oh, dear. Am I to assume that the connection was severed?"

Fitz-Simmons looked at each other nervously.

"Yes," Simmons finally said.

"She must have..." Fitz trailed off.

"She was the one to sever it," Loki concluded. "Clever."

"Clever?" May asked. "We just lost all connection with her, and for all we know, she could be telling us everything she knows!"

Loki looked at her impassively. "I would have thought you would have more trust in her, considering she's one of you."

"She's not," May replied irately.

Simmons bit her lip. "Well, she was a member of the Rising Tide..."

"A group dedicated to getting secrets from organizations like ours out into the public," Fitz explained. "But... I didn't think she was playing us."

"Perhaps she isn't," Loki mused. "After all, this man she's speaking to, he knows now that we're listening. He would be suspicious if she didn't do anything about it and on his guard. We would have learned nothing from him. But now you have her location. You simply need to wait until Agents Coulson and Ward are able to enter to assist her should she need it."

"How did you—?" Fitz began, before Loki looked pointedly at the speaker. "You heard the whole thing."

"Skye had enough foresight to give me access to this mission from the beginning," he replied.

"And now your work is done," May said, grabbing his arm. He twisted out of her grasp, glaring, but made no more move against her. "We don't need you anymore."

"For the moment," he commented. May simply shut off the speaker to the Cage before leading him back, once again cutting him off from everything but the metal walls around him.

 _ **X**_

It wasn't until hours later that the door was opened again. He expected Coulson to walk in, yelling at him for screwing the mission up by encouraging Skye to play along, or May to tell him that they had failed. He was pleasantly surprised to see Skye instead, even though she was drenched in sweat. A weight he hadn't known was there lifted off his shoulders.

"We didn't get Dr. Hall back," she said after a moment, closing the door behind her and sitting across from him. "But we did stop something really bad from happening. And I got back in one piece, so... thanks."

"For...?"

"For having my back, I guess," she explained with a shrug. "That talk last night helped me and you didn't have to step in today."

"It was that or continue to spend my days in this infernal cell," Loki replied.

Skye huffed a laugh. "Yeah, I guess it would probably suck being stuck in here. But still..." She smiled. "I really appreciate it. With that, she stood and left, Loki watching her go. It was his only use on the Bus, to assist the team when they needed it. He'd never expected to be thanked for it.

He didn't want to admit it, but... it felt nice.

 **Welp, that was chapter 4. A few explanations, if they weren't fully clear: Loki was confused about that weight on his shoulders because he didn't realize he'd actually been worried about Skye (and still doesn't). And he worried because she was the first person in a long time to treat him like a** _ **person**_ **, rather than a monster or a tool. And though he probably doesn't realize it right now, that means a LOT to him. Second note: if anyone's confused about Before and After... I'm pretty sure it's clear that the pivotal point between Before and After was when he found out his heritage. And the capitalization is because of how important the separation of those to periods of time are.**

 **And finally, another thanks to pokemon fan 98~ She caught a really stupid error of mine that I probably should have but didn't (I put wall-less instead of windowless). And Loki coaching Skye through that little segment was her idea, as well. Didn't really go the way we expected, but it still turned out okay.**

 **See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~**


	5. If things get ugly

**Okay, so I'm kinda skipping over Eye Spy, because it'd be pretty damn close to chapter 2. So really the only thing was that he got escorted out of the Cage while they used it for Akela. The only difference is that Skye filled him in on the events afterward.**

 **Disclaimer: refer to chapter 1**

Loki glanced up with a raised brow when the door to the Cage opened. "Already?" he asked. "My, someone has been busy."

"Up," May said, walking over and grabbing his cuffs. She pulled him out without another word. He was about to speak when he saw who they were putting in his place. There was a man he didn't recognize... and Skye. He looked at May in confusion, but she said nothing. Instead, she brought him into the lab, letting go but standing in front of the door to keep an eye on him and prevent his escape.

Fitz-Simmons looked at each other nervously, and the tension in the room was high. For once, though, Loki had a feeling he wasn't the cause. "Tell me why Skye was brought into the Cage with that man," he said.

Simmons frowned and just looked down at her equipment. Fitz finally spoke. "You remember we told you about the Rising Tide?"

"And Skye is a member," Loki confirmed. "I'm aware."

"Well that guy, he... I guess he's her boyfriend, and he's a member of the Rising Tide, too, and we think he leaked the location of someone on the Index because the guy is missing and we traced the leak..."

"So we went to go find him, and... Skye tipped him off," Simmons added. "So now we don't really..." Her voice got quieter. "Know whose side she's on..."

Loki was quiet for a moment. Whether Skye had been working against S.H.I.E.L.D. or not was inconsequential to him. He was only there out of necessity, after all. But as it was affecting everyone surrounding him, it wasn't something that could simply be ignored, either. "She doesn't seem to be the type," he told them. Deciding to change the subject, he said, "What is this Index you mentioned?"

"It's a list of people with a variety of superhuman abilities," Simmons said, seemingly grateful for the change. "The man who went missing had pyrokinetic abilities."

"Uh, that's fire powers," Fitz added.

"I already knew that," Loki said offhandedly with no real annoyance to his tone. "And how do you know he's gone missing?"

"Why do you even care?" May asked sharply. He turned his gaze to her.

"When you spend every day in a small box, _anything_ will suddenly become very interesting," he said plainly. He turned back to Fitz-Simmons, waiting expectantly.

"Well, the man—Chan Ho Yin—was assigned a case agent," Simmons explained. "Someone to keep an eye on him, sort of. Make sure he didn't break any of the rules. And the case agent was the one who found out he was gone. The only evidence we have is a piece of fireproof clothing."

"Meaning whoever took him knows exactly what he can do," Loki concluded.

"Exactly," Fitz said with a nod. "So now it's our job to get him back."

"Fitz-Simmons!" they all heard as May moved aside to let Ward through. "Got a job for you. I need as much info as you can on Miles Lydon."

"Who?" Loki asked.

"Skye's boyfriend," Simmons answered.

Ward nodded the two scientists over. "Come on," he said, leading them out. Probably to 'get rid of a distraction'. Loki rolled his eyes and took a seat in a chair, ignoring May's stare and doing what he did best these days.

Waiting.

 _ **X**_

Loki had been placed under Ward's watch while May and Coulson were getting ready for the mission.

"I hate to bring this up," May began, "but since this is Centipede, we don't know exactly what we're walking into. They might be promising Chan the same things as Mike Peterson. He might not want our help when we get there, and if that's the case, it could go south fast."

"What's your plan, then?" Coulson asked.

She sighed, already knowing the reaction she would get. "I think we should take Loki." Before he had the chance to protest, she continued, "Let me speak. Loki's Asgardian, he's stronger and more durable than any of us. We could use him on our side if things get ugly."

"You're not telling me you trust him," he accused.

"Of course not," she replied. "But he's being watched, right? So any move he makes against us, he'll be sent back to Asgard and then he'll probably be executed, he said it himself. I don't trust him to have our backs for any kind of noble reason. But I do trust him to have enough self-preservation to know that helping us is in his best interest."

Coulson was quiet for a worryingly long time before he finally went over to his desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a small key. "Fine," he said. "But I reserve the right to shoot him if he does anything."

"Phil..."

"Only if he does anything suspicious," he said.

"Alright."

 _ **X**_

Loki didn't even look up as he heard Coulson and May descend from the former's office. After juggling him around various places on the Bus, they'd finally settled on keeping him in the lounge area, Ward his silent but alert guard.

He did look up, however, when a folder was dropped on the table in front of him. He raised a brow in question.

"Read it," Coulson ordered. "It's everything we have on Centipede, and on Chan Ho Yin."

"Centipede?" Loki queried.

"Read."

The alien raised his hands in mock surrender. "Very well. But I must ask _why_?"

"Because I don't want you messing this mission up," Coulson replied.

"Messing...?" Realization dawned. "You mean to tell me I'm actually assisting on a field mission?"

"Yeah," Coulson said, and the tone in his voice made it clear he wasn't happy about it. Loki figured the decision had to have been May's doing. "Now read."

 _ **X**_

Ten minutes later, the plane landed and Loki set down the file. At least he finally had an answer about that piece of Chitauri metal from his first day aboard.

Coulson walked over to retrieve him. "You can't honestly expect me to be able to help while I—" He cut off when the human produced a key, unlocking the shackles. They fell to the floor, echoing loudly on the metal floor of the hangar. He smirked. "That's better."

"That's all you're getting," Coulson told him. "I'm not turning that off." He pointed to the choker sealing Loki's magic.

"I suspected as much," he replied.

"Both of you, get moving," May told them as she walked in, opening the hangar and exiting the Bus. The two men followed dutifully, seeing a small team of agents waiting for them.

"Agent Coulson," the man looking to be the head agent greeted.

"Agent Kwan," Coulson greeted back. He saw the man's gaze drift to the being next to him. "I'm sure you've heard of Loki."

"Loki of Asgard?" Kwan asked, seeming slightly hesitant. "Burdened with glorious purpose?"

Loki's eye twitched and he could just barely see May's amused smirk.

"He's helping us on this one." Kwan still seemed a little concerned. "Don't worry about it." Coulson looked at all the agents present. "Building has five floors. The first four are research. Fifth is listed and maintenance, but uses half the building's energy."

"I'd like to venture a wild guess and say that that would be where they're keeping Chan Ho Yin," Loki commented.

Coulson gave him an annoyed look but continued. "Send your B and C teams in through the tunnels to secure the lower floors. Warn them that the Centipede serum's highly explosive."

Kwan nodded. "Understood. Where do we go in?"

"The roof," Coulson replied.

"This should be fun," Loki muttered, looking up. He just hoped they wouldn't decide to drop him on his way up.

 _ **X**_

They didn't drop him.

"We go in fast and we go in quiet," May stated, directing her comment at Loki.

"You act as though I've never infiltrated before," he replied, sounding slightly offended. "I've been moving around undetected since long before you were born, Agent May."

She rolled her eyes. "Just get going."

The group snuck through the darkened halls, their way lit only by flashlights, and Loki couldn't help but be on edge, hiding deep under a layer of false confidence. This man, whose state of mind they had no idea of, was pyrokinetic. Loki was a Frost Giant. Ergo, this could end very, _very_ badly for him. Surely Coulson knew this. Had he just stopped caring about the repercussions that would come when Thor found out?

"There," May said. "Heat signature confirmed." She handed a device to Coulson.

Loki looked at it curiously as Coulson simply said, "I love these things." He attached it to the door, pushed a button, and took a few steps away, facing the opposite direction. Loki had the good sense to follow his lead, and was grateful for it when he heard the miniature explosion behind him.

May kicked the door open and immediately went for the nearest guard. Loki decided now might be a good time to make himself useful. He went for the second guard, grabbing him by the throat and throwing him into the wall. The man appeared stunned, but Loki knew that might not keep him down for long.

He stalked toward the guard, wishing he had his magic to conjure a dagger or two. As it was, he'd have to use his bare hands. Not something he was fond of, as he wasn't nearly as brutish as Thor, but he wasn't inexperienced. He fired a punch into the guard's gut and grabbed his shoulder, ready to spin him for a hit to the face when he recovered when something curious happened. Frost started to appear on the guard's shirt, and a quick glance told Loki that his hand was a pale blue. "Well, this is interesting..." he muttered before moving his hand to the back of the man's neck. Just as he had once seen a Frost Giant do to Volstagg, frostbite began to spread from where his hand touched. Seeing that May was avoiding killing the other guards, he pulled his hand away before his touch would become lethal, watching it return to its familiar pink color.

Seeing the others heading in a specific direction, he followed, peering around to see the man laying on the table. That must be Chan, then.

"Agent Kwan," Chan said. "It's you."

"We're gonna get you out," Kwan assured. He and Coulson moved to turn off whatever machines he was connected to.

Loki's eyes drifted toward Chan's hand. "Agent May, remind me," he began, looking at her. "His ability is pyrokinesis, is it not?"

"That's right," May said.

"I would assume that one who can light himself on fire must also be fire-resistant?" he asked, but before he could receive an answer, alarms started going off and lights started flashing. The sudden change disoriented Loki for a moment, and when he came back to his senses, Chan was standing, arm held out toward Kwan, burning him to a crisp, the other injecting himself with some serum. "Oh dear," he muttered.

"Chan, what have you done?" Coulson asked.

"I've set myself free," Chan said before firing twin streams of fire at the agent. Coulson only just managed to duck out of the way in time. Chan screamed in pain, and Loki could see burns covering both forearms.

"Mr. Chan, I know you're in pain," Coulson called from behind his cover. May was hidden by another rack nearby, while Loki had ducked around one of the light pillars.

"This is nothing! You were the ones killing me, forcing me to keep this gift locked up inside!" Chan yelled.

"Chan!" Loki heard May yell. "I'm sorry you've lived a life you didn't want, but violence will solve nothing."

"It will keep me from being kept prisoner. By them, by you, there's no difference. I was given this gift for a reason. To burn bright." Chan was glaring in May and Coulson's direction. Loki doubted he even knew he was there. He moved slowly, quietly. It would no doubt be dangerous for him to go in close, but unfortunately, Chan would be able to send a stream of fire at him probably from across the room. He'd have to catch him by surprise. He just needed a weapon...

"There's no turning back!" May was replying.

"I don't want to go back!" Chan yelled.

Loki could see a table with surgical tools just a few feet away. Lying right in the middle, almost as if taunting him, was a scalpel. It was so close... but he'd have to abandon his cover and draw all of Chan's attention to himself. He looked down at his hand for a second and wondered which would be stronger: the fire this man's body produced, or a Frost Giant's ice? He wasn't too keen on testing that theory.

Chan shot another stream of fire at Coulson, causing him to change cover. Loki took the chance to move and grab for the scalpel, flinging it effortlessly, slicing Chan's arm. The human turned, firing again, this time at Loki. Loki rolled out of the way, just barely avoiding the flames, feeling their heat on his face.

Coulson took the opportunity to fire his weapon—which Loki had learned was absurdly called the 'night-night gun'—but Chan heard him move and made a wall of fire behind him, melting the bullet before it could hit.

"Nothing can stop me!" Chan yelled as Coulson withdrew, clearly out of ammunition. "Not you, not your friend!" He aimed at Loki once again and as he shot his flames, Loki acted on instinct. He'd only ever _really_ utilized this power when focused through the Casket of Ancient Winters, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and without access to any of his magic, Loki was desperate. He swept his arm up, a wall of ice erecting in front of him instantly. He stared for a second. The flames were melting through it, but not nearly as fast as it would normal ice. He wasn't sure exactly how he'd done that, though. On the bright side, he wasn't dead.

Unfortunately, Chan's attention was focused entirely on him. The two men just stared at each other for a split second before moving at the same time. Chan lunged for him, while he ran, taking the only open exit he could find. As expected, rather than staying in the room with two much easier targets, he chased after Loki instead.

 _ **X**_

"Doors are unlocked," Coulson said. "Where's Chan?"

"He's gone," May said after checking the area. "Loki, too."

"Dammit..." He headed for a control console.

"That tranquilizer was Chan's last chance," May stated.

Coulson nodded. "I know," he told her. "It's time to minimize the damage. Simmons, are the building's computers back online?"

" _Yes_ ," she replied after a moment.

"Uncuff Miles," he informed her. "We're gonna need his help."

 _ **X**_

Loki ran through the halls, looking for some kind of escape. If he'd had his magic, he could just teleport out easily. Or at least draw Chan away with an illusory copy. As it was, all he could do was run.

He saw movement down one of the halls and turned, hiding behind a cabinet, just out of sight. These people weren't S.H.I.E.L.D., as far as he knew, and thus, not his responsibility. He couldn't care less what happened to them.

"You!" Chan screamed, and at first he thought he'd been spotted. Chancing a peek, he saw that Chan wasn't looking at him. He was focused on the people down the hall.

"Please," he heard a woman's voice say. It was clear that she was trying to appear calm, but Loki could hear her voice tremble. "Look, we can fix you... Make you stronger... Take the name Scorch and make it mean something."

'Scorch?' Loki mouthed to himself, brows furrowed. What was that supposed to mean?

"It already does," Chan was saying, voice shaking with pain. His attacks toward Loki hadn't done him much good. His arms were completely burned. He slammed his fists on the floor and screamed in pain. Twin trails of flame spread across the floor, heading toward the woman and burning her alive.

There was a long moment of quiet before footsteps echoed through the halls. Loki peeked around his cover again to see Coulson approaching.

"Mr. Chan," the agent started. "We don't want to hurt you." Chan turned, and Loki readied himself, hoping he could produce another ice wall should Chan decide to attack Coulson. "But we have to."

May approached Chan from behind from an unseen hallway, jamming two syringes into his shoulders. She released them and he dropped.

"We gotta move," Coulson said, and Loki, seeing that he was no longer in immediate danger, stepped out.

"It took you long enough," he muttered, but his complaint went ignored. May and Coulson just ran, and Loki followed close behind.

They passed Skye and Ward on the way, both of them falling in line behind them. No one spoke as they ran, and almost as soon as they got outside, an explosion rocketed up through the ventilation shaft to the roof.

Loki glanced over at Skye while Ward and Coulson spoke. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I thought you were locked up."

"I was..." she replied, looking uncomfortable. "But you needed someone to hack the systems to get the electronically locked doors open, so... I'm probably still in a lot of trouble."

"Considering they're all questioning you're loyalty..." Loki began.

"How did you know?"

"Fitz-Simmons informed me of the situation," he replied. "So, why are you here then? On the Bus?"

She was quiet for a minute. "There are some things I need to know," she finally told him. "And I think S.H.I.E.L.D. is my best bet for getting some answers."

Loki raised a brow in question, but the two of them were ushered onto the Bus, and Loki led back to the Cage before she could give a response.

 _ **X**_

Loki wasn't surprised to see Ward pull out some handcuffs once he was forced into the chair. He took a brief second to deliberate. He had two choices: accept the shackles without incident, or resist and lose any opportunity to leave this box ever again. He simply sighed, holding up his hands to accept the cuffs. Ward secured them wordlessly before walking out.

Loki leaned back the chair, thinking on what Skye told him. Things she needed to know... What could be so important that she would risk everything to learn? After today's events, however, he doubted he'd ever know, and he doubted she'd ever be able to receive those answers. He had little doubt she'd be thrown off the Bus, never to be heard from by any of them again. Disappointing, but unsurprising. She'd been the only one here actually nice to him. He was a fool to think that would last.

 _ **X**_

Skye wiped her eyes with the palm of her hand. She knew he'd be asking questions and she didn't want 'are you crying?' to be one of them. She couldn't handle being mocked, not today, and while she and Loki were on decent terms, she didn't peg him for the sensitive type.

When she was sure she had composed herself, she opened the door.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," Loki commented. "I'd thought for sure they would have left you here in Hong Kong."

"They almost did," she replied, trying to keep her composure as she sat across from him.

"But I assume Coulson felt for you when you told him you were looking for something?" he queried, and she nodded. "So... what is it?"

She was quiet for a long time, fighting to school her features. "My parents," she eventually said. "I've never known who they were, I was just... dropped at an orphanage one day."

"Abandoned," Loki spoke, but to her surprise, his voice was quiet. His gaze was focused on the table between them and she had a feeling he wasn't thinking too much about her anymore. She'd overheard that he'd been adopted, that he wasn't really Thor's brother. But there had to be a lot more to the story.

She decided against prying for the moment. "I searched my whole life for anything on them," she said, somehow holding back the tears. After talking about it once already, the second time seemed a little easier. "All I ever found was a file, redacted by S.H.I.E.L.D.."

Loki seemed to pull himself out of whatever thoughts had been running through his head. "And so you're here to try to find the original file." She nodded. They were both quiet again before he finally said, "You may not like what you learn." There was more pain in his eyes than she'd ever seen, but she didn't mention it. She wasn't going to push.

"That's what Coulson told me," she said, standing. "And I told him..." She paused, trying to hold back the emotion. "I told him it couldn't be worse than what I imagined." She stood. "I guess I just... wanted to give you an update. See you later, Loki." She went to leave, but not before Loki spoke one last time.

"It can always be worse than you can imagine," he warned her in an oddly emotionless tone. She paused at the door before closing it behind her, leaving him in silence.

 **The first chapter with some actual action! This has been, by far, my favorite chapter so far. There are some things I want to address to avoid any confusion, though. First off, Loki is under the impression that Coulson knows he is a Frost Giant. He doesn't know that Thor never told any of that to Fury, and thus, Coulson has no idea. Second, he was able to use his ice powers despite his magic being bound because it's not so much magic as a biological ability. A natural advantage he has. The reason it was unexpected though, and the reason he was a little startled about the whole thing with the ice wall (and subsequently hoping he could do it again later) is that it's a skill that's been uncultivated. The only other time he's used it involved using the Casket as a focus. This was more an instinct thing that just kinda... happened.**

 **I know that Coulson didn't say anything about said ice powers yet, but know that that will be coming. He's just been otherwise occupied. The chapter, especially this last section, kinda ran away from me (though it was definitely my favorite part, especially that last piece of dialogue).**

 **Big thanks once again to pokemon fan 98 for catching my stupid typos. Without her, it would have been 'their just to get Chan back'. That would have been just silly. (And any typos in my end-of-chapter notes are all me. I write these after I hear back about the body of the story)**

 **See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~**


	6. Our resident Chitauri expert

**Alright, so this picks up very shortly after the end of chapter 5. So some shit is gonna get addressed that was supposed to before. Also, in no way do I apologize for Skye's really bad pun.**

 **Disclaimer: refer to chapter 1**

Loki was still staring at the table, lost in his memories when the door to the Cage slammed open. Snapping back to reality, he looked up to see Coulson stalking over, slamming his hands on the table when he reached it.

"What the hell was that?!" he practically yelled.

Loki blinked. "Agent Coulson, I can assure you I've no idea what you're talking about."

"That thing in Hong Kong, with the ice!" Coulson elaborated. "You shouldn't be able to use magic, how the hell did you do that?"

"That was not magic," he said.

That was apparently the wrong answer. "Really? Then how do you explain a wall of ice appearing out of nowhere?"

"I would have thought it was quite obvious," Loki replied, compartmentalizing his emotions for the moment. Now that he'd had time to breathe and think, centuries of prejudice and hatred had washed over him, and he couldn't afford to show weakness to one who despised him as much as Coulson did. "Frost Giants do not need magic to produce ice."

"Frost Giants?" Coulson asked. "What the hell does that mean?"

Loki paused. He'd assumed that Thor had revealed his true heritage to Fury, who would have then told Coulson. Apparently, he hadn't given his brother enough credit, but now he had backed himself into a corner. "I'm fairly certain Thor would have told you that I'm not really his brother."

"He mentioned that, yeah," Coulson replied.

"I'm not even Asgardian, despite the way I appear," he continued. "I am truly the offspring of a Frost Giant." He forced his remaining emotions with the rest in the tiny little box, his face becoming expressionless. "A runt, left to die on a frozen rock until Odin had the 'good grace' to take me to Asgard, fooling me into believing I was truly his son, a potential heir to the throne." He forced out a bitter laugh. "But is appears that the Norns have decreed that I never forget what I have learned. I suppose we are lucky that my true heritage made itself known in our skirmish with Chan Ho Yin, otherwise I would not be here right now." He paused. "Though I doubt it would matter one way or another to you."

"That's where you'd be wrong," Coulson replied plainly. "I'd be in big trouble if Thor found out I let you die."

"Thank the gods for small mercies, then," Loki remarked. He paused. "Does the term 'Scorch' mean anything to you?"

Coulson raised a brow. "Other than being something that happens when things get burned, no. Why?"

"There was a scientist, a doctor, perhaps," Loki said. "Chan killed her before you arrived, but she said they could 'make the name Scorch mean something.' So I ask again, does that mean anything to you?"

Coulson frowned. "Son of a bitch. They gave him a name."

Loki didn't ask him to elaborate, knowing he wouldn't get a straight answer. As Coulson headed for the door, the alien commented, "I have a theory about what they were doing with him."

Coulson stopped. He obviously didn't want to spend any longer in this little room with Loki than he had to, but Loki had been given to them to assist. "Alright, I'll bite," he said. "What's your theory?"

"According to the file you had me read, the Centipede serum was prone to combustion," he began. "There had been no mention before about Chan's fire harming him, but I'm sure you noticed the burns on his hands when we arrived. The more he used his power, the more the burns spread to his arms. Considering he was strapped to a medical table, I believe they were removing whatever it was that made him immune to his own power in order to stabilize their serum. Were it me, I wouldn't want to put so many resources into something that would only last for a short time, and one of the reasons I'm here is to provide the perspective of the enemy, is it not?"

Coulson looked at him for a long time before leaving without another word. As the door behind him closed, Loki muttered, "You're welcome."

 _ **X**_

Coulson walked into the lab to see if Fitz-Simmons had any ideas on what was going on in that lab on Hong Kong. He hated to admit it, though Loki's theory was pretty sound, but there was no way he was just taking his word on it. He needed proof.

"Sir!" Simmons said as she looked up from the papers in front of her. "We think we know what Centipede was doing with Chan. We think something in his blood made him fireproof."

"And with the serum being so combustible, they needed something to stabilize it," Fitz continued. "So—"

"They were using him to stabilize it," Coulson interjected grimly. He really hadn't wanted Loki to be right, for a number of reasons. Even ignoring the fact that he was the Asgardian— _Frost Giant_ , he corrected himself—that had stabbed him through the chest, it was a concerning development. The serum had been dangerous enough with what it did to their test subjects, making them so much stronger. Without fear of a backlash, there were so many more things they could do with it, things S.H.I.E.L.D. probably wasn't prepared, or even equipped to handle.

"How... how did you know that?" Simmons asked, slightly stunned.

"Lucky guess."

" _Loki_ guess," he heard Skye mutter from her seat in the corner. He decided to ignore that little comment.

"We need to figure out exactly what Centipede is planning to do," he stated, steering the conversation back on track. "As soon as possible."

 _ **X**_

It was days later when he was pulled out of the Cage again in order for an interrogation of some suspect. He was confused when he saw someone looking remarkably young—not really a child, but by no means an adult—led into the Cage. He was even more surprised to see May walking in with a plate of cookies.

Of course, with his guard of the day being Ward, he doubted he'd receive any answers. His best solution would be to ask Skye the next time he saw her—assuming he hadn't ruined what tenuous alliance they had in their last meeting. She was the only one to ever actually talk to him. May hated him nearly as much as Coulson himself, Ward was quite close in that regard, and he was fairly certain that despite his help, Fitz-Simmons were too afraid to speak to him directly without supervision.

Oh gods, was he actually _missing_ what few conversations he'd had with her? Only a few months with these mortals and he was already growing soft. The very idea made his skin crawl.

 _ **X**_

As soon as they returned to the Bus, Skye headed straight for the Cage. Someone was bound to question him and she figured he'd probably appreciate it from the one person on the plane that wouldn't yell at him.

She found herself freezing at the door, just as she had the first time. It hadn't really hit her until this moment. Loki might seem fairly normal, but the fact remained that he _wasn't_. Coulson was right: he could have easily killed her, handcuffs or not, every time she stepped inside. She'd had no real training that would even give her a chance against him. Whatever it was that was killing these innocent firefighters had to have been of Chitauri origin, there was no other explanation. It was something from the invasion. The invasion led by _Loki_. What if he was responsible, somehow? She didn't know how that'd be possible, with him stuck on the Bus with them this whole time, but if anyone could pull it off, it would have to be the God of Mischief. What if he was just biding his time with them until he could find an escape and try New York all over again?

She shook her head, weighing her options. Despite all that, he was still also the man that had helped the team on multiple occasions now. He'd given them helpful information. He'd gotten her through that thing with Quinn. And most recently, he'd probably saved May and Coulson's lives, drawing Chan off like that. It might have been an accident, but it still happened. Then again, it could all be some kind of bigger plan... Gain their trust until he was ready and able to strike... There was only one way to find out, though...

She opened the door.

 _ **X**_

Loki was slightly surprised to see Skye step inside his prison. She looked quite serious, so this obviously wasn't a social call.

"What kind of weapons did the Chitauri have?" she asked simply.

"They had several," he answered. "You'll have to be a little more specific."

She sighed, standing behind the desk. It didn't escape his notice that she wasn't sitting. "People are dying," she said. "People that worked cleanup in New York. There's some sort of electromagnetic... thing going on. And it's making holes in people's heads, and they're floating, and it's gotta be Chitauri."

"Because their only connection is the incident in New York?" Loki asked.

"Well, no, but... this doesn't really seem like something a human can do," she answered.

"What about the Index?"

She shook her head. "I already asked about that. There's no one on the Index with that kind of power, according to May."

"I'd have to see one of the bodies to even begin to assist," he replied.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Skye told him. "Pretty sure the others think you're behind this, and—"

"Do you?" he interjected.

"What?"

He sighed. "Do you believe I'm responsible as well?"

She paused. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "But if not, you're the only one that really has any real knowledge about alien stuff."

"Yet it's doubtful that Coulson, May, or Ward will let me out to give my opinion?" he guessed.

"Yeah. And I don't really have any authority here, especially after this." She held up her wrist, brandishing a simple silver bracelet. When Loki gave her a confused look, she said, "This is my punishment for the Rising Tide stuff. Everything I do with any kind of technology is tracked, and S.H.I.E.L.D. can just... lock me out."

"So you're entirely at their mercy, as well," he commented, with just a hint of amusement to his tone.

"Guess so," she replied. "The others are probably going to be back soon, so... I better scoot."

Loki nodded in acknowledgment, watching her leave.

 _ **X**_

Simmons stared at the readouts. She turned to Fitz. "Fitz, I need you to watch these and keep Coulson informed."

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

She took a deep breath. "I'm going to ask our resident Chitauri expert about the infection."

Before anyone could protest, she was gone.

 _ **X**_

Simmons paused at the door, staring at it and weighing her options. So far, he hadn't done anything to hurt them, but... there was just something about being stuck in a room alone with Loki that freaked her out. Besides, she'd probably get yelled at. She quickly moved on to the briefing room, turning on the speaker into the Cage.

"Loki, can you hear me?" she asked.

"I can," he replied. "Are you going to accuse me of starting this, as well?"

"No," she said. "Unless you can somehow activate a virus remotely from here."

"I cannot," Loki informed her. "What sort of virus are you talking about?"

"The common denominator of the deaths was not only their involvement in cleaning up New York, but they took a helmet as a souvenir. And we think it has something on or in it that's killing them. It causes an electric overload of the brain, which then creates a strange electrostatic field around them while simultaneously burning a hole through their skull. Do you know of anything that might cause that?"

"I don't believe so," he replied. "However, I would be able to produce a better answer if I were to be given the helmet to inspect."

Simmons paused. "I'll see what I can do when they get back," she assured him. They had to see the reason in letting him examine it, right? It was quite possibly the only way they'd be getting a solid answer, if there was a solid answer to give.

 _ **X**_

It was several hours before anyone came into the Cage, but he was surprised to see Fitz running in, looking panicked. Of all the people Loki expected to enter, he was probably at the bottom of the list.

"Simmons is infected," the scientist blurted. "If we don't come up with an antidote, she'll die."

"Are you asking for my help?" Loki asked, raising a brow in question.

Fitz took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "No," he said. "I'm telling you to. Now come on, we need to hurry."

Loki simply replied by standing, following Fitz as the latter practically ran back to the lab.

As soon as they arrived, Ftiz opened the lab door and practically shoved Loki inside. Were it not for the serious situation, Loki might have been amused. As it was, though, he had a job to do.

When the door opened, Simmons, who had been sitting against the glass wall, rose to her feet. "What are you doing, it's too—" She cut off abruptly when she saw who'd entered.

"Dangerous?" Loki guessed. "I've spent significantly more time among the Chitauri than any of you have, and considering the fact that I haven't died, I'm going to assume I'm immune to whatever virus the helmet has spread."

"Or maybe you just haven't been exposed to one of the infected..." she said quietly.

Loki glanced back at the glass door, through which Fitz was watching nervously. He looked back at Simmons. "Well, not much to be done about that now. Let me see the helmet."

Simmons gave a jerky nod. "A-Alright," she answered, picking up a biohazard container off the floor and opening it. Under normal circumstances, she might have been concerned about exposing the infected helmet, but as it was, it's not like it would make much of a difference.

Loki picked up the helmet, running a finger along the surface. There was still a very thin layer of rust-like substance, and he studied it for a moment. "I believe I may have seen this somewhere before..." he muttered, almost to himself.

 _ **X**_

Coulson froze when he saw the Cage door wide open. The room was empty. "May?" he said through his communicator, heading for the lab to warn Fitz-Simmons as well. "We may have a—" He stopped, unable to believe what he was seeing. Simmons was in the lab, pacing nervously while Loki stood at one of the tables, the Chitauri helmet in hand. Fitz stood outside, watching them both. "Fitz, what the hell is this?" he asked, causing the younger man to jump and look over.

"If we don't do anything, Simmons is going to... We needed help, and no one knows the Chitauri better than Loki does," Fitz said quickly. "If he knows something then we need him here!"

"You could have just as easily had someone ask him from inside the Cage!" Coulson practically yelled. "Instead, you brought him out and left him alone in a room with her! How do we know he's really trying to help?"

"It's not like he's going to be able to do anything the virus isn't already!" Fitz protested. "I'm sorry, Coulson, but he's the best chance she has!"

Coulson glared. He couldn't exactly do anything about it now. To pull him out would be to risk the entire team getting infected. He didn't know what effect the virus might have on Loki, and if it mutated it in some way that ended up killing them a lot faster or something, then he couldn't let that get out. "We'll talk about this later," he warned, looking back into the lab. Simmons was looking back and forth between Loki, Coulson, and Fitz nervously. Loki, however, seemed like he hadn't heard their argument at all. Coulson didn't want to leave them alone with him, but he had to report to the higher ups. With one final warning look, he left.

 _ **X**_

Loki was still examining the helmet, wracking his brain for an answer when Fitz returned twenty minutes later with some little device. "What's that?" he asked offhandedly.

"Well," Simmons replied, clearly trying to calm her nerves. "It's supposed to be an antiserum for the virus. If it works, it _should_ neutralize the antigens." She paused. "If it works..."

Loki looked at her for a long moment. He'd realized upon first seeing her that she was young, but now that he had a chance to get a better look, he realized that he had been unaware of just _how_ young. Yet here she was, trying to put on a brave face while she tried to figure out how to prevent her life from ending far too early, in the same room as a man who terrified her. He had to commend her for that. There appeared to be more to her than he'd first assumed. As his gaze returned to the helmet, he realized that despite her fears, however, she had specifically asked for his help twice. He was surprised in the amount of faith she'd been putting in him, despite her reservations about being in his presence, and he found himself unwilling to let her down.

By Odin's beard, he _was_ growing soft.

Simmons walked over to one of the glass cages containing a rat. Loki hadn't even noticed them until this moment. She pulled it out and administered the antiserum. "Come on, now," she whispered, and Loki watched from the corner of his eye. As much as he wanted to see the result, to see the stage of development they were at, he knew that hovering wouldn't do much in terms of calming her nerves, and if she wasn't calm, she'd most likely make mistakes and the process would take far too long. Perhaps more time than they had.

He saw a flash of light and heard a small crackle, not unlike when Thor got a bit worked up and began losing control of his lightning. When he looked over, Simmons was standing over the cage with a floating rat, frozen with her head down. A failure, then.

He looked back toward the helmet once again, trying to figure out where he may have seen the virus—or at least its physical form—before. If he could uncover that, it may be able to speed up the process tenfold. He had to go over the facts he knew. Beginning with the obvious, the carrier of the virus was a Chitauri. It spread through electrostatic shock, according to Simmons. He'd been given a more detailed summary of the previous victims, and he knew he'd never seen any Chitauri end up like that, meaning that while they carried the virus, they weren't affected.

"Well," he heard Fitz say on the other side of the glass. "That wasn't very cooperative of him now, was it?" He could tell just by the tone that all Fitz wanted to do at this point was help calm Simmons down. Simmons, however, ignored him and walked to one of the other tables, leaning against it, seeming to be using it to hold herself up. Even from where he stood, Loki could see the unshed tears. She was beginning to give up.

"We've barely begun," he found himself saying. "We still have time."

She shook her head, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "We don't," she replied. "There's just not enough time for me to—"

"The only way we will be out of time is if you give up," he said forcefully. "No one else is giving up on you. Do not disrespect our efforts by giving up on yourself."

Simmons was quiet for a moment. "You're right," she finally said, making a pathetic attempt at a smile. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me until you're not dying," he said plainly, returning his attention once again to the helmet.

 _ **X**_

 _He was weak, still recovering from the previous night's torture. He knew what was expected of him. He was to lead an army of these vile creatures to Midgard, to take it over. With each day, each torture, he found himself submitting to the orders he was given more and more, no matter how much he wanted to resist._

 _He could see the army gathering, some of them seeming slightly off color. It almost appeared as though a thin layer of rust coated their armor. But it had to be something else. There was no way_ _he_ _would ever employ an army of anything less than powerful, experienced warriors. And having been raised surrounded by many, he knew that there was no way they would allow their armor to fall into such a state of decay._

 _He overheard the Other saying something about an infection. Something to wipe out remaining survivors after the world was conquered, an infection engineered to be ineffective to their carriers, the Chitauri themselves. But any other race, it could decimate in a matter of hours._

 _He asked if he would be safe. After all, he had been cultivated as a pawn for so long that he doubted the Other—and his master—would be so willing to simply throw him away._

 _The Other simply told him he'd best be careful._

 _ **X**_

When Loki drew himself back to the present, Fitz and Simmons were arguing with each other, near shouting.

"I was doing just fine, tucked away in a safe, indoor, non-mobile lab at the Academy!" Fitz exclaimed. "Then you had to go and drag us into this flying circus! Didn't even pass our field assessments, for God's sake!"

"Oh, please!" Simmons retorted. "As if I forced you to follow me anywhere!"

"You said, and I quote..." Fitz attempted a poor impression. "Oh, Fitz, it's the most perfect opportunity for us to see the world! We'd be fools to pass _this_ one up!"

Simmons glared. "I hate it when you use that voice," she said bitterly. "That's not even how I sound! And you were just afraid to—"

"Children!" Loki yelled, gaining their attention. "Perhaps you should spend less time arguing, and more time focusing on your work!"

"I don't see you doing anything!" Fitz exclaimed, and Loki wasn't sure whether to feel insulted at the implication or impressed at the gall the man had. Evidently his concern for Simmons trumped his fear of Loki. "All you're doing is just standing there, holding that damn helmet!" He looked at Simmons. "And I wasn't afraid."

"Are you saying that these past few months haven't been the highlight of your entire pasty life?" Simmons asked, crossing her arms. Loki resisted the urge to groan. Somehow, he'd ended up in the middle of a lover's quarrel. And miraculously, they were completely ignoring his presence.

Fitz looked genuinely insulted. "Pasty?" he asked. "Oh, really? What about you? I'm pretty sure that every minute of every day, you've been stuck in a lab right beside me. At the Academy, at sci-ops, this plane... You've been beside me the whole damn time." His face set in determination and Loki could practically predict the next words out of his mouth. "Which is why we're fixing this together." And before either Simmons or Loki could stop him, he entered the lab.

"What have you done?" Loki asked, staring. He sighed. Nothing to be done about it now. It was at that exact moment that Coulson returned. The older agent's eyes found Fitz before locking on Loki. Before he could start to yell, the God of Mischief said, "I had nothing to do with that. I would have tried to stop him." He flipped the helmet upside down in his hands, balancing it in one and holding out the other as best as he could with his wrists still shackled. "I need something to scrape the inside of this," he said. He was slightly surprised to find Fitz handing him a cotton swab without question. He ran it around the inside, hoping it would be able to pick up what they need. He handed it back. "I may not be well-versed in the subject of science, but I would assume you would be able to make an antiserum if you had some genetic material of a creature that was immune."

Fitz looked at him for a minute, handing Simmons the swab. "If that was the case," he started slowly. "We could have just used some of yours. You're immune, right? You said it yourself."

Loki replied with a mirthless smile. "As it turns out," he stated, "I may have just been lucky." He didn't bother elaborating further, setting the helmet down on the table, watching Fitz-Simmons work. It didn't escape his notice that a small crowd had gathered outside the lab.

When the newest attempt at an antiserum was finished, Fitz loaded it into the device. "May I do the honors?" he asked, and Simmons gave a small smile and a nod. He walked over to the glass cages. One test rat left. He picked it up, administered the antiserum, and set it back down. When nothing happened, he and Simmons smiled at each other.

"We did it," Simmons said in disbelief, and Loki felt himself filling with an odd sense of relief. That relief drained however, as did everyone's smiles, when they heard the crackle of electricity and the rat became suspended in midair.

"No..." Fitz said quietly. Simmons gave him a sad look before walking to the door.

"Sir, I know the protocol in these circumstances," she began, trying to put on a brave face. "But could you please tell my dad first? I just think my mum would take it better if it comes from him."

"We're not there yet," Coulson argued. "There's still time."

"We still have more Chitauri DNA," Loki stated. "Perhaps the mixture was wrong, but we still have much to work with. And Coulson is right, there is still time to get this right. What did I tell you about giving up?"

She gave him a sad smile. "I'm not giving up," she said, her voice breaking. "I'm simply facing reality." She looked at Coulson. "Would you mind if I had a brief moment alone with Fitz?"

Coulson looked at Loki. If he wanted to honor Simmons' request—which he did—he would have to somehow get the alien out of there, and they had no idea whether or not he was infected.

Seeming to know what he was thinking, Loki told him, "I haven't exhibited any of the signs of infection. I believe it would be safe for me to leave this lab."

"Alright," Coulson said after a moment. As Loki made his way to the door, the agent said, "I'm so sorry, Simmons."

 _ **X**_

Loki frowned to himself as he heard the alarm echo through the Bus, amplified by the metal walls of the Cage. There could be any number of reasons, but considering recent events and what he figured was standard protocol...

It was a shame. He'd started to like her.

 _ **X**_

It was nearly an hour later when the door opened. He was slightly surprised to see May in the doorway. Had she come to throw it in his face that now matter how hard he'd tried—and he _had_ tried—he was useless in saving Simmons?

"You did good today," May said, leaning on the doorframe, catching him off guard.

"Pardon?" he asked, confused.

May gave a slightly amused smile. "There are some people that want to thank you." She stepped out of the way slightly, and two people rushed in. Fitz and Simmons, the latter looking much better than the last time he'd seen her.

"Thank you so much!" Simmons exclaimed, gratitude clear in her words, tone, and body language. He had the feeling she was just barely holding back from giving him a hug. For that, he was thankful.

Fitz was smiling. "You saved her," he said.

Loki raised a brow. "Nonsense," he said. "I came up with a possible solution, you two did all the work." He paused. "Dare I ask about the alarm earlier?"

"Well..." Simmons began. "The antiserum we made evidently only knocked the rat unconscious."

"But she didn't know that, and since she thought she was going to release an electromagnetic pulse that would blow the plane out of the sky, she jumped out the cargo hold," Fitz finished.

Loki blinked. "You jumped out the..."

That was it. It was at that moment that he realized these two really weren't able to properly take care of themselves. He sighed slightly. Well, _someone_ had to...

 _ **X**_

Fury gave a start when a huge flash of light came through the window. A second later, alarms started blaring. "What now?" he muttered, about to go check it out. He stopped when the door to his office opened.

Stepping inside, looking weary, was Thor. He had definitely seen better days.

"I need Loki's assistance."

 **Sorry this was so late! There was a bit of difficulty with getting this settled, because I took a while to write this, pokemon fan 98 had an important event to go to, then I had a question for her that I kept forgetting to ask her, so... yeah. Chapter 7 (hopefully) won't be too far away, but I have a test next Monday, so it might not be until mid-next week. I'll hopefully be able to get back on my 'approximately a week' schedule after that. Again, I'm really sorry for the delay!**

 **I really liked this chapter, because Loki is starting to form more attachments to the team. He's still really far from getting anywhere with Coulson, May, and Ward, but he's already kind of become friends with Skye, and now he's pretty much adopted Fitz-Simmons, so he's well on his way.**

 **See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~**


	7. You gonna do this or not?

**I wish I could come up with some valid excuse as to why this took so long, I really do. But it really all boils down to this: the beginning of Phase 2 is inexplicably difficult for me to watch, and I think you'll agree that watching Thor: The Dark World was necessary in order to write this. I haven't seen that movie in years, and I needed a refresher on everything. Obviously, since Loki wasn't stuck in an Asgardian prison cell, some stuff went down differently. You'll find out how with time.**

 **Disclaimer: refer to chapter 1**

Coulson scowled as he left his office. While he hated Loki with a burning passion, the last thing he wanted to do was let the alien free.

"Coulson?" May asked, seeing the look on his face. "What's going on?"

"Apparently, Thor wants Loki back," he said bitterly. "But considering how hard he worked to get Loki to stay with us in the first place, something tells me he's not just taking him back to Asgard. It can't be that simple." He sighed. "But apparently Thor's in Director Fury's office right now, waiting, so..."

May thought for a brief moment. "The Avengers still think you're dead. You have to get to the Hub anyway, so I'll drop you off, get Loki to Fury, then swing back and meet up with you guys there."

"Alright," Coulson relented. "But keep me informed."

"Of course."

 _ **X**_

Loki tapped his fingers idly on the table in front of him as he felt the Bus land. As no one came to speak to him, it seemed this wasn't a situation where his help was required. He hadn't left the Cage, or even been visited, since the Chitauri helmet incident, so he felt very out of the loop.

To his confusion, however, the Bus lifted off just a few minutes after landing. Wondering whether or not the microphone in the Cage was on, he said, "Was there a reason for that little pit stop?"

He was honestly surprised when he received a reply. "I had to drop the others off at the Hub. You're headed to Director Fury. Someone wants to see you."

Loki's brow furrowed at that, but May offered no other explanation. Who would want to see him? As far as he knew, very few people knew he was still here on Midgard. Not including Coulson's team, the only people who knew were Fury, a small handful of other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Thor, and most likely Heimdall—so by extension, probably Odin. Had Odin found out and decided that these months Loki had spent prisoner weren't enough? Was it finally time for him to face execution?

 _ **X**_

When they arrived, Loki was only mildly surprised to see Thor standing in Fury's office. He didn't look his best, so Loki assumed he'd just come from some sort of battle. His eyes darted to the chair in which he had once sat, what felt like ages ago. Slumped against it, looking exhausted, was a woman with long, brown hair. This was the woman he had seen from the view of the Destroyer, the woman Thor was in love with. Jane Foster.

"She's not looking well," he said plainly before turning his eyes back to Thor. "Hello, brother."

"Loki," Thor said. "I need your help."

Loki merely raised a brow. "Oh, really? Well, I'm not sure what use I am to you at the moment." He held up his shackled wrists for emphasis.

"I'm guessing that if you agree, we take those off," May said from the doorway.

Loki looked from her to Thor. "Ah, yes, you two haven't met. Thor, this is Agent May, one of the members of S.H.I.E.L.D. overseeing my... work here with them. May, I'm certain you know who Thor is." He looked back to Thor again. "Well? What is it you supposedly need my help with?"

"The Dark Elves have risen," Thor said.

Loki straightened a bit in shock. "I thought Odin said your grandfather killed them all."

"It appears he was wrong," Thor replied. "Their leader, Malekith, is after the Aether, which has, somehow... fused itself to Jane."

Loki wished he was uncuffed. He really wanted to cross his arms right about now. "I'm sure you've the entire army of Asgard at your disposal. What could you possibly need me for?"

"I wish to draw the Dark Elves away from Asgard, to keep our people as safe as possible," he began.

"Your people, Thor," Loki corrected. "Not mine."

Thor ignored the interjection. "But Odin is stubborn. He would rather they fight. That will only result in casualties, and I have already seen far too many deaths." He was quiet for a moment. Loki had to assume that he'd lost someone close to him. Perhaps Sif, or one of the Warriors Three? He snapped himself out of it a moment later. "They've already found their way into Asgard. I just barely managed to escape through the Bifrost with Jane. It's important that we don't stay much longer than we have. It's quite a miracle they haven't found us yet already."

"And just why would I help you?" Loki asked, taking a relaxed, almost bored posture. "What would I have to gain?"

"For one, you're going because I'm telling you to," Fury said. Before Loki could speak, he continued. "If I'm understanding what Thor's saying right, then it's only a matter of time before this Malekith turns his attention on us. You're gonna keep that from happening. If you don't, you'll either die with the rest of us, or when this is all over and everyone's safe again, we're handing you over to Asgard for them to do whatever the hell they want to you."

Loki glanced down at his shackles. "And these?" he asked, but Fury was already reaching into his desk. He produced two items: a key, and a small remote.

"You gonna do this or not?" Fury asked, looking him in the eye.

Loki couldn't help but smirk. "I don't see that I have much of a choice," he replied, and that seemed to be good enough.

Fury stood, grabbing the two items. He walked over, and when he reached Loki, he uncuffed the shackles, letting them fall to the floor with the dull sound of metal against carpet. Loki was just beginning to rub his wrists, glad for the freedom, when he heard a small beep, felt the device around his neck loosen, and felt the rush of magic back through him. He removed the device, placing it in Fury's waiting hand.

Fury looked at Thor as he placed it on the desk. "When you're done, I want him back here. He's actually been pretty useful," Fury informed Thor.

A few other words were exchanged, but they were merely dull background noise as he took stock of his magic. It appeared that there wasn't any detriment to it after being sealed off for so long. He snapped back to reality when he realized Thor was saying his name.

When he had his brother's attention, Thor said, "I'm afraid we can't use the Bifrost to go to Svartalfheim. Do you know any other ways to get there from Midgard?"

Loki smirked. "Of course I do." He turned on his heel, striding out of the room like he owned it. "It's been a pleasure, Director Fury. Agent May. Give my regards to the others, will you?"

"We'll be seeing you back here soon," she said, and his smirk only grew as he continued to walk.

 _That's what you think_.

 **Well, that's that, then. Again, sorry about the long wait. You can actually probably thank pokemon fan 98 for this chapter. It had taken so long, I literally told her, "If you don't have chapter 7 in your inbox by the time we get back from Thanksgiving break, you have full permission to start nagging me about it." And since I hate being nagged, that thought kind of spurred this on. The next chapters WILL be easier for me to write, because it's a lot easier to write a chapter corresponding with an episode, but I can't guarantee update schedules at the moment because we're just a few weeks away from finals. I'll do my best, though.**

 **See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~**


	8. So why come back here?

**Okay, time for chapter 8. One little detail I feel needs to be made known: Thor never told Loki that Frigga is dead. I needed him to be as emotionally stable (well, for Loki, anyway) as possible for this chapter to work. If he was still hurting from Frigga's death, he'd probably shatter into a million pieces and that's not good for anyone.**

 **Disclaimer: refer to chapter 1**

Loki watched as Thor and Jane left, hiding somewhere in one of the caves as the Dark Elves left, the wind swirling around him in Thor's rage-filled storm. As soon as he was sure they were gone, he dropped his illusion, the body and the shroud he'd hidden himself in disappearing. Thor would no doubt tell everyone what he thought happened here on Svartalfheim, meaning all the Nine Realms assumed him dead. With a simple illusion, or even a shapeshift, he could go anywhere, do anything, be anyone.

The more he thought, he realized there was really only one place for him to go.

 _ **X**_

The team was still in good spirits about the mission when May walked in from the briefing room, looking grimmer than usual.

"What's wrong?" Skye asked.

May was quiet for a moment, looking at each of them. "Loki's dead."

Simmons's hand flew to her mouth in shock, Fitz looked away, and Skye let out a small gasp. Ward and Coulson seemed unaffected.

"How?" Simmons asked after taking a moment to try to compose herself.

"I don't know the details," May answered. "But apparently he saved Thor's life doing it. Since we're not all dead, I'm going to assume that whatever Thor had to do, he did it."

"So in a way... Loki kinda saved us all, right?" Skye asked. "If Thor died, then he wouldn't be able to win against whatever he had to fight."

Coulson frowned. He'd hated the alien, understandably so, since the day he'd been handed off to them. But even he had to admit, what Loki did... it was worth remembering.

 _ **X**_

Loki strolled through the building he'd found himself in, cloaked by another shroud. He'd figured out that a S.H.I.E.L.D. team was here, and he was willing to bet anything that that team was Coulson's. Thor must have told them—or perhaps just May, who would have passed along the message—of his 'passing'. What would they be thinking? Ward, he figured, couldn't care less. Skye would probably be mourning, as would Fitz-Simmons. He couldn't be sure about May, as he might have started to earn her respect, but she was always on Coulson's side, no matter what. And the lead agent himself had probably been overcome with joy when he'd heard the news.

Well, there was only one way to find out.

As he walked, he glanced out the window to see the destruction in the streets. His mind wandered to that small town in New Mexico, and then to New York. It appeared Thor couldn't fight a single battle without leave a path of destruction in his wake. But the fact that the town still existed itself, and the universe, for that matter, meant that Thor must have won his fight against Malekith. He couldn't be quite sure how, but he found himself not caring. He had a different goal in mind.

Finally, he heard some voices, so he followed them into a large room with a group of familiar faces scanning and sorting through the mess around them.

"—don't want anything alien getting in the wrong hands," Ward was saying.

Loki couldn't resist the opportunity. "Like mine?" he asked, dropping the illusion, standing in plain sight. All movement stopped, and every pair of eyes in the room were staring at him. He ignored them, walking over to see what they were doing. "I suppose you've been called in to take care of Thor's mess."

Silence. Everyone seemed to be in some sort of stunned daze. After what felt like an eternity, Skye spoke. "May told us you were dead..." Her voice was quiet, hesitant, as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Seeing as Thor saw me impaled by the enemy and watched the life leave my eyes, I'm not surprised," he replied simply.

Coulson was the next to snap out of it. "If that's the case, how are you still alive?" he shot back.

"You forget, I have my magic back," the alien informed him. "Creating such an illusion was far too easy. Thor thinks I'm dead, and I've little doubt the rest of the Nine Realms do, as well."

"So why come back here?" Ward asked. "If you could go anywhere, why come back to Earth? I thought we were primitive, ants under a boot."

"How does the general populace know these things?" Loki muttered to himself. Only Fury, Selvig, and a handful of other agents—most of whom were dead now, anyway—were present when he'd made that speech. And yet somehow its contents had become common knowledge. He decided to ignore that for the moment. "It's become clear to me that you're unable to properly take care of yourselves." He gave Simmons a pointed look. "You need some sort of supervision, and I just so happen to be available. Indefinitely, it seems."

Before anyone could respond, Simmons's phone began to ring, seeming to snap everyone else out of their stupor. She slowly pulled the device out of her pocket, pressed a button, and replaced it.

"Simmons?" Fitz asked.

She shook her head. "I'll talk to them when I talk to them," she told him. She glanced at the others, and when met with several questioning expressions, she said, "My mum and dad. They want explanations and answers for..." She gestured around her to the room in general. "All of this. But everything is classified, so it's not as though I have answers to give. Not to mention that I haven't talked to them since I was... ill. And if they knew that, they'd be even more terrified."

"Rightfully so," Loki interjected plainly. "You did throw yourself out of a plane. Were you my child, I'd be rather concerned, myself."

"Wait, do you have kids?" Skye piped up, but he was spared from answering by Simmons's phone beeping yet again.

The scientist seemed to shrink back slightly at the gazes focused on her. "I'll talk to them eventually," she told them. "I just... need time."

An awkward silence fell over all of them, and Loki said, "Oh, don't stop working on my account." He looked around. "What happened here, anyway? I wouldn't have expected Thor to wreak destruction on a world he loves so much."

"It wasn't really his fault," Ward answered. "Pretty sure it was mostly whatever things he was fighting."

"The Dark Elves," Loki replied. He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Did Agent May not give you the details of what Thor wanted me back for?"

"All I understood from that conversation was that Dark Elves came back and that Thor wanted them off Asgard," May replied.

"Ah," Loki said. "Well, in short, the Dark Elves had been believed to have been defeated millennia ago, but they returned in search of the Aether, which they could use to bring eternal darkness to the Nine Realms. They'd gone to Asgard in search of it, but while Thor wanted to take them away from Asgard, Odin, the stubborn fool he is, wanted to stay and fight."

"That would have just resulted in more casualties, though, right?" Fitz asked.

Loki nodded. "That is exactly what Thor was thinking. But as most of the soldiers in Asgard are more loyal to Odin, save for Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, who would follow Thor to their deaths, I was his best option. The others had to prevent anyone from following us, leaving only Thor and myself to face the Dark Elves."

"Why couldn't they come with you?" Skye asked.

The God of Mischief gave a wry smile. "As you can imagine, no one on Asgard was too pleased to learn that I still lived. The others had to protect our retreat so that no one would ruin our plan. We were in Svartalfheim, and though Malekith was able to steal the Aether, we were able to weed his forces a bit. It was then that I found my opportunity. No more risk of Odin sending someone to find me. No more Thor trying to mend bridges too far broken. A fresh start. All I needed was to make him believe I was dead; a simple task."

"I still don't get why you decided to make that fresh start here," Coulson muttered.

"It's far easier to live as myself rather than craft a new identity, but there weren't many places I could go in which I would be recognized and not incarcerated. Not to mention how Thor might react once he discovered I'd tricked him," Loki replied.

"So you came back for convenience's sake?"

"Precisely."

"Well, then, since you _are_ back," Coulson began, "you know what that means." When he was met with only a quizzical gaze, the agent simply grabbed Loki's arm and started walking.

"Again with the dragging," Loki muttered, wrenching free but deeming to follow Coulson nonetheless. It became clear once they were outside and headed toward the Bus what Coulson had planned.

 _ **X**_

"Why do you even have this?" Loki asked as Coulson secured the binding choker. Coulson tapped a button on the remote, and a small tone indicated its activation and Loki once again felt his magic drain from him. He raised a brow when Coulson retrieved the familiar cuffs from his desk. "Are those really necessary? I've helped quite a bit in the past, and I chose to come back on my own. I would think that merits some level of trust."

"That was your mistake, not mine," Coulson shot back. "Arms out."

Loki stared at him for a long moment. If this was what it took to stay in a place where he wouldn't be immediately run out, then so be it. He could always win the proper trust in the future, one way or another.

 _ **X**_

As soon a the word 'Asgardian' left Fitz's mouth, he knew exactly what he had to do next. As soon as he and Simmons had stopped talking, he left the room, heading straight for the Cage, where Coulson had no doubt dropped the alien in again.

"We might need your help with something," Fitz said after opening the door.

"Oh?" he asked, head tilting curiously. "And what might that be?"

"We found something—well, the imprint of something—that gave off the same readings as Thor's hammer. So, you know, Asgardian. And, as our resident Asgardian..." He noticed the stiffness in Loki as he said that. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Loki said, masking his reaction in an instant. "What did you mean, you found the imprint of something?"

Fitz looked back at the doorway. "C'mon," he said, waving for Loki to follow. "It's better if I just show you."

As the two were leaving the Cage, they saw May coming down the hall. She looked from Loki to Fitz, who shrunk back slightly. He'd hoped to get at least a little information from Loki before he'd get caught. "How'd you know we needed him?" May asked with a raised brow.

This time it was Fitz's turn to be confused. "I was getting him to come take a look at the scan of that rod. Why do you need him?"

"I'd rather you not speak as though I'm not here," Loki said testily. Thinking back on what he knew, Fitz realized that Loki had probably gotten enough of that as a child.

May ignored the comment, but turned to Loki instead. "Some people have what we found, and it had some nasty repercussions. I want you to come take a look." With that, she led him and Fitz to the briefing room, where there was an image on the screen of a destroyed street with the words 'WE ARE GODS' written in fire. "What do you think?"

"I think some people think far too much of themselves," he replied.

"Pot, kettle," Skye muttered jokingly.

All four of them looked over when the door opened and Coulson, Simmons, and Ward stepped inside. Coulson's eyes snapped to Loki for a quick second before looking at May. "Good call," he said.

"Uh, actually..." Fitz said awkwardly. "I, um... I got him."

Coulson nodded in acknowledgment at Fitz before turning to Loki. "I still don't like you, but you're our best chance of figuring this thing out." He looked to the others. "Run facial recognition, find out who these two are."

 _ **X**_

It wasn't long before they had some answers. "Jakob Nystrom, 30," Ward said, pointing to one of the photos on the screen. "Girlfriend, Petra Larsen. Leaders of a Norse paganist hate group."

"I'm sorry, a what?" Loki asked, confused.

"Norse paganists are obsessed with anything derived from Norse mythology," Skye explained. "We should let them meet you."

"Let's not," Coulson said dryly. "And now it looks like they have some kind of weapon." He looked at Loki. "Well? What do you make of it?"

Loki picked up the reproduction. Running his hand over the flat side, he looked at Fitz questioningly.

"The scan only accounted for one side," he explained. "There was too much damage to the tree for complete reproduction."

Loki nodded slightly, examining it closely. Running his fingers over the markings, he muttered, "I know I've seen this somewhere before..."

"Where?" Coulson asked.

"I'm not sure..." Loki replied. "It doesn't appear that this is the entire artifact, however."

"It's definitely broken on both ends," Simmons pointed out helpfully. "So maybe you don't remember because it's not the whole thing?"

"Let's hope you remember soon," Ward said. "These two might be looking for a complete set, but if we know what the rest of it looks like, or how many other pieces there are, we might be able to get ahead of them."

Loki's brow furrowed as he continued to stare at the staff. He knew what this was. He _knew_ he knew what this was, but for some reason it was escaping him. It had to have been in a painting, or some illustration of one book or another. Perhaps he had even seen it wielded by someone, and it had been flung to Midgard ages ago, left unclaimed for millennia. "Inspire rage..." he muttered to himself.

"What?" May asked, looking at him.

"It's what the staff says," the alien replied. He set it down on the table. "Inspire." He pointed to one set of symbols. "Rage." He pointed to another.

"While you try to remember, I think we should take a little trip," Coulson said. "I know someone in Seville, one of the world's leading experts on Norse Mythology. Elliot Randolph. We consulted him once before, when Thor's hammer landed in New Mexico. Maybe something he tells us will help jog your memory."

 _ **X**_

Loki glanced at Coulson as the Bus began to descend. "You know, people are going to stare when you walk in there with a shackled prisoner."

"Is that your not-so-subtle way of asking me to uncuff you?" Coulson asked.

Loki simply smirked. "It's your choice, Agent Coulson."

The two looked at each other for a long time before Coulson finally relented. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a key. Unlocking the cuffs, he took them and set them on his desk. "People are still going to stare with you walking around in those."

"Need I remind you that I don't have any other sets of clothing here?" Loki asked, crossing his arms. "Unless you've something else to provide me with?"

 _ **X**_

Loki shifted uncomfortably in the S.H.I.E.L.D. hoodie that had been thrust upon him. His pants had been considered 'not overly outlandish', so he kept those, but had been provided a pair of boots similar to those of Agent Ward. He was far from pleased with all of it.

"Professor Randolph," Coulson greeted as he reached the open door.

The man inside shook his hand. "Agent Coulson. Come in, come in." He motioned him, along with everyone else, inside.

Coulson looked at the pen in Randolph's hand. "Waterfield 44," he said, pointing. "14-karat-gold nib with mother-of-pearl inlay."

Loki looked at him. "You scare me," he said plainly, shaking his head.

Randolph looked at him and for a moment, he looked petrified. "You're..."

"Yeah, Loki," Coulson said. "He's working with us now. And we need some help, since _someone_ can't seem to remember some details." He opened the case they'd brought the model in. "It was found in a tree in Norway. Someone else found it before us, so we only have a 3D model, but it seems dangerous and we need to know as much about it as we can, so maybe we can stop it."

Randolph took the model, looking it over, but glancing back at Loki every few seconds. "This is amazing," he said. Loki had the feeling that man was trying to ignore his presence now. "These runes..."

"Inspire rage," Loki recited. "Perhaps that might help."

Randolph paused before nodding. "It does. I think this is a piece of the berserker staff."

It clicked in Loki's mind. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "How could I have been so—?" He had to resist the urge to kick something, probably a wall.

"The, uh... the myth dates back to the late 12th century," Randolph said, and that proved it. He was definitely trying to ignore Loki was there. "It's all about a powerful warrior from Asgard. A soldier in the berserker army."

"Berserker army?" Fitz asked.

"They were a fierce, ruthless army," Loki began. "Full of powerful warriors. A single berserker could have the strength of twenty mortal men. The raged like beasts, destroying everything in their wake."

"Wait, so the staff gave the person wielding it superhuman strength?" Coulson asked.

"It puts a warrior into a state of uncontrollable rage," Randolph answered. "It contained very powerful magic."

"If the actions of Nystrom and Larsen are anything to go by, I'd say it still does," Loki commented.

"Or maybe just a scientific attribute we've yet to discover," Simmons suggested. As she'd never seen Loki use magic—save for his shroud when he found them in Greenwich—she seemed very skeptical. He'd have to change that.

"Fitz-Simmons, we should really have a conversation when this is all over with," Loki stated.

"What did I do?" Fitz asked.

"Hm? Oh, nothing," Loki answered, leaving the human still confused.

"Uh, anyway, what happened to the warrior in the story?" Fitz asked, turning his attention to Randolph.

"According to the story," the professor began, "he came to Earth to fight, but he ended up falling in love."

Loki rolled his eyes as Simmons asked, "With whom?"

"With life on Earth," Randolph answered. "Humanity. He fell so much in love that when his army returned to Asgard, he stayed behind."

"What happened to the staff?" Fitz asked.

"Well... he didn't want its dark magic falling into the wrong hands, so he broke it into three pieces, and hid each one in a different location," Randolph said.

"The manuscript wouldn't happen to say where he hid them, would it?" Coulson asked.

"Actually, it does," the professor said, turning to grab a book.

"How convenient," Loki muttered. There was something about this man that just didn't seem quite right...

Randolph didn't seem to hear him. "Three verses," he continued. "Now let's all bear in mind, these are poetic abstracts from long-lost ancient texts." He held the book out. "So, there is one about a tree, which they've found, it seems. Another is 'east of the river, sun overhead, buried in earth with the bones of the dead.' That's a bit macabre, isn't it? There's another one in here." He looked back down at the book. "Well, this one doesn't even have a rhyme. But the gist of it is 'close to God'. That could be anything, couldn't it?"

Coulson frowned. "I was hoping for less metaphor, more longitude and latitude."

"I would begin my search near Viking raid routes," Randolph suggested. That's when it clicked, and Loki couldn't help but smirk to himself. "Now, there have been some recent interesting findings of Norse relics on Baffin Island off the coast of Canada. A virtual treasure trove of new artifacts."

Coulson nodded. "We'll start there, then. Thank you, Professor."

The rest of the team began to leave, but once they were gone, Loki leaned in close to Randolph. "Care to tell me where you really hid them?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the man said, but his tone made it clear that he was nervous. He knew he'd been caught.

Loki was about to speak when Coulson came back in the room for him. Before the mortal was within earshot, Loki whispered, "Piece of advice. Never try to trick a trickster."

 _ **X**_

Loki swatted irately at the cobwebs in his face.

" _How you doing, Agent Ward?_ " Coulson's voice came through the device in Ward's hand.

"Wishing I was shorter," he muttered. He glanced behind him. "Loki seems okay, though." Loki glared in response, which Ward ignored. "But maybe it wasn't the best idea to send me down here with a scanner for alien devices with an _alien_ as my partner," he pointed out. His scanner was going crazy, but it had been ever since he'd turned it on up top.

" _He's the only one with any idea what the staff can really do_ ," Coulson said. " _Much as I hate to admit it, if we find it, we need him on site, and I'd rather have him with someone I trust can handle him than leave him alone with Skye._ "

"He does know I'm standing right here?" Loki asked.

"He just doesn't care," Ward replied simply.

Loki sighed, but movement caught his eye. Without warning, he took off after it. Ward drew his gun, running after him. He knew the agent probably thought he was making a break for it, but he'd find out soon enough. When he caught up to the figure, Loki grabbed him and spun him around. It was, to Loki's lack of surprise, Professor Randolph. And in his bag was another piece of the staff.

"Hello again," Loki said. He glanced to the side to see that Ward had entered the room. "Professor Randolph, would you care to explain to Agent Ward what you're doing here?"

Ward sighed, reaching for the staff.

"Agent Ward, I wouldn't do that!" Loki tried to warn, but it was too late. The man's hand was already around the rod. The sigils glowed, and Ward looked like he was in pain. "Why didn't you pull it away?" he hissed at Randolph. He was going to get blamed for this, he just knew it.

" _Ward, what's happening_?" Coulson asked, but Ward didn't seem to be in a good state to respond. Loki grabbed the earpiece, wiped it on the hoodie he hadn't had the chance to change out of, and shoved it in his own ear, ignoring the discomfort.

"We may have a situation," he informed Coulson. "Ward touched the staff, and it seems to be affecting him. We need to get him out of here, now." He looked at Randolph. "And you're coming with us, as well."

" _Skye's headed your way,_ " Coulson reported. " _You stay with him, Loki. He might not be in a good state to be left alone._ "

"I doubt he is," Loki agreed. He let go of Randolph for just a second, to try to help Ward sit properly, and in that moment, he was gone. "Dammit!" he yelled, and this time he did kick a wall. "Agent Coulson, Professor Randolph has the piece of the staff. He's not who you think he is."

 _ **X**_

Loki watched Simmons give Ward his examination from the other side of the room. Coulson had found Randolph, but by the time he'd gotten there, Nystrom and Larsen had already stolen his piece of the staff. Had Loki not let Randolph go, they could have gotten it. But now, thanks to his blunder, their foes now had two out of three pieces of the berserker staff. His only solace was the fact that now that they had the man who'd hidden them in the first place in custody, they might actually get the last piece, and have enough time to lay a trap for the group.

"Um, before you lost consciousness, were you feeling claustrophobic?" Simmons was asking Ward.

"Why?" Ward asked, and Loki could detect the hostility from all the way across the room.

"She's ruling out a panic attack," Fitz answered.

"I don't panic," Ward said emphatically. "Ever."

"There we go," Simmons said. "Ruled out."

"Touching the staff caused it, right?" Skye asked. Ward gave a single nod.

"Any residual effects?" Simmons queried. "Are you exhibiting any extra... strength?" Loki could practically see Ward's fuse get shorter and shorter, but before he could say anything...

"Why don't I find out on that guy?" Ward asked, glaring up at the image of Randolph in the Cage on the screen.

Loki spoke up. "I wouldn't advise it."

"What's the last thing you remember before you lost consciousness?" Fitz asked, and it was like watching Thor being prodded by the healers when they were children. Loki could already predict what Ward would say.

"This is a waste of time!" Ward exclaimed, practically ripping his arm from the pressure cuff. "We need to find the staff!"

"What exactly did you remember?" Fitz asked, a little more sharply this time.

"Something I hadn't thought about in a long time," Ward replied, and Loki could see even from his spot that the agent was beginning to tremble with rage.

"Leave him be," Loki told them. They started whispering amongst each other, and Loki sighed. This wouldn't end well.

"Quiet!" Ward snapped. He looked from the monitor back to them. "I want to hear this." His tone was clipped and terse. He was actually beginning to make Thor look calm and quiet.

Berserker staff, indeed.

 _ **X**_

"So, who are you really?" Coulson asked.

"What are you talking about?" Randolph asked, and to his credit, he looked genuinely shocked.

"I had a little talk with Loki," the agent replied. "And he said you're not who we think you are."

"But he's Loki," Randolph protested. "The God of Lies and Mischief."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure it's just mischief," Coulson commented. "And you seemed pretty freaked out when you first saw him. So. Who are you really, Professor Randolph?"

 _ **X**_

Loki seriously debated leaving when Simmons turned the monitor off. He really didn't want to see this train wreck. But then, where could he go? Any time he was out of the Cage, he had to be supervised, but it had been made clear on multiple occasions that he wasn't allowed in the cockpit, meaning May was out of the question.

So... face the consequences of breaking that rule, or watch this disaster waiting to happen? Then again, if he stayed, maybe he could clean up this mess. That would get him back a few points, right?

"What are you doing?" Ward asked sharply, looking over at Simmons.

"Your heart rate's rising," she explained, trying to calm him down. "Adrenaline's spiking. You need to calm down, not get worked up."

Ward took some deep breaths, and Loki was just starting to relax when Skye leaned in and said something the God of Mischief couldn't quite catch from his spot in the room. The two exchanged hushed words, but Ward's voice started to rise. "Don't you ever get tired of hearing your own voice?" he was saying.

Fitz put a hand on the agent's shoulder. "Ward, stop," he said calmly. Loki was already moving as Ward's arm started to rise.

He needn't have worried, though. Ward lowered his arm on his own, and no one seemed to have noticed his attempt at an intervention.

"Well, this makes more sense," Simmons announced. "Ward, what you're experiencing, this feeling... it's chemistry."

"Hope so..." Skye muttered.

Simmons nodded, moving the tablet in her hand. "Yeah, spikes in his adrenocorticotropic hormone. It's like those stories you hear when a mother is able to lift a car to save her baby."

"I've never heard those stories," Loki commented, trying to draw attention hopefully away from Ward to give him time to compose himself.

"It's an Earth thing," Fitz explained.

Simmons nodded. "An adrenaline surge can cause a massive—"

"Stop talking!" Ward practically yelled. "Just fix it!"

Simmons shrunk back a little. "I wish I could. We can relieve some of the symptoms. I'm going to give you 10cc of benzodiazepine."

"Chill pill," Skye stated. "Good idea."

"A sedative?" Ward asked testily. "Not gonna happen."

"Be reasonable, look how you're behaving," Fitz said.

"And if I'm sedated," Ward started, getting in his face, "and we crossed paths with those juiced freaks, the ones who flip cars and smash people up, are you gonna take them on?"

This time Loki placed a hand on his shoulder and spun the mortal to face him. "No. I will. You seem to forget you have me as a resource."

"Nobody trusts you," Ward sneered. "Coulson isn't even letting you walk around on your own, making you hang around us to be supervised like a little child. So no, it won't be you, I promise. Meaning I have to step in and save the day, just like always." He turned back to Fitz. "And I'll have to save Simmons's ass. Again. Because I think we all know _you_ can't step up to the challenge, just like you couldn't—"

"That's it," Loki muttered, punching Ward in the face. He made sure to hold back and avoid breaking any bones. But he made sure Ward felt it. He took a deep breath. "That felt quite good, actually." The feeling was short lived when he felt a punch to his gut. He didn't double over, but he did take a step back, having not expected that. He'd have to remember to chastise himself for that later. Ward made to tackle him, but Loki sidestepped just in time, twisting, reaching around and wrapping an arm around his neck as he passed, pulling him in close and applying a chokehold. "I think it's time you took a nap," he said, applying pressure. It was easy for him to keep Ward in place, and eventually, the man fell unconscious. Loki let go and Ward dropped unceremoniously to the floor.

 _ **X**_

Ward was still unconscious when Coulson walked in, though they had moved him to a table. And as Loki expected, Coulson honed in on him first.

"What the hell happened?" Coulson asked him, stalking toward him. "What did you do to my agent?"

"As I'm sure you can see, I rendered him unconscious," Loki said simply. "It was necessary."

"Necessary, my ass," Coulson retorted. "You realize all it takes is one call and we can pass on the message to Thor that you're still alive. Bet he'd love to talk to you."

"Coulson, wait!" Skye started. "Ward was starting to get a little out of control."

Simmons nodded. "He was getting more and more aggressive and started saying... things Ward wouldn't normally say. He focused in on Fitz and Loki... well, Loki stopped him."

"Then Ward tried attacking him back, so he had to do... that." Fitz motioned to Ward's prone form on the table.

Coulson looked from Loki to his team and back. "Alright, fine," he said, backing down. "But if he's not okay when he wakes up..."

"Define 'okay'," Loki commented. At the glare he received, he added, "All I meant was that this most likely did nothing to the effect the staff was having on him. When he wakes up, he may very well be in the same state he was before."

"Only more pissed at you," Skye pointed out. "But, what do we do?"

"My best guess would be just giving him time to let the effects wear off," Loki suggested. "I've never seen the staff in person, much less held it, so I can't be sure, but it's the only advice I have."

"Alright, fine," Coulson said after a moment. "But here's _my_ advice. Don't be here when he wakes up."

 _ **X**_

"When were you going to tell us he was Asgardian?" Skye asked, looking over at Loki as they watched the camera feed from the Cage.

"In a way, I did," he replied. "Don't you remember? I told Agent Coulson that Randolph is not who he thought he was. I would have gone into detail, but too much happened afterwards for me to be able to bring it up."

"When did you know?" Simmons asked curiously.

"At some point while he was telling his story," Loki said. "Asgardians have been to several places on Midgard, yet he knew it would be somewhere near Viking raid routes. He sounded quite sure of himself, and that, coupled with the fact that he found the piece of the staff before us, told me he knew more than he was telling us."

"How long do you suppose he's been here?" Skye asked.

"I'd guess a thousand years," Simmons suggested. "Maybe more. If we could just cut him open a little bit, get some tissue samples, maybe some bodily fluids, we could find out."

Skye and Loki stared at her. "Or we could ask..." Skye said, sounding slightly disturbed.

May walked in, tapping on a tablet. "What are you doing?" Skye asked.

"Sealing the Cage door," May replied. When everyone looked at her, she said, "Coulson's orders."

"The only way to ensure he's detained," Loki muttered. "That thing was built for people like us, right? He couldn't escape even if he wanted to."

 _ **X**_

Loki watched as Ward and Randolph talked. He'd finally had the chance to change out of that hoodie and was back in his own clothes. Ward didn't seem too happy, if his slamming of the container he was holding was any indication.

"Loki!" Coulson called, causing the God of Mischief to look over. "You're coming, too. Randolph here is a pacifist, so we need another Asgardian to help stop these people."

Loki gave him a quizzical look at his word choice before it clicked. Despite his hatred, Coulson knew that Loki's true heritage was a sensitive subject, and more importantly, a secret. And he could have told the others at any time, as some sort of revenge tactic. But he didn't. He kept that secret.

He'd have to think on that awhile.

 _ **X**_

"Well, it's been a while," Randolph said as they entered the church the final piece of the staff was supposedly stored in. "I wonder... Ah, yes. There it is. Still here." He walked up to the altar, looking down at an open book. "Well, the nose isn't quite right."

"That's you?" Fitz asked, and Loki could only imagine they were looking at a book with the original story in it, complete with illustrations. He didn't care much. He stayed back, watching the doors. He was, after all, the first defense they had. He blocked out the noise behind him, focusing solely on his task. He couldn't mess this up. He'd chosen to return, and to even his own surprise, it wasn't a game he was playing with them. He really did want to stay, and in order to do so, he had to make himself useful.

He attention was drawn back to the others when they began to walk.

"We're going upstairs for the piece of the staff," Coulson said. "You stay down here. Warn us if they show up."

Loki nodded. "Of course."

There was near silence for a long time before he heard yelling from upstairs. He froze for just a split second. Nystrom and Larsen were already here. He heard Ward yell, but before he could make his way to the stairs, Ward and Nystrom were falling. Loki caught a glimpse of one of the pieces of the staff in his hand.

Nystrom lifted Ward, slamming him into the ground, and that was when Loki moved. He had to move carefully, because even though Nystrom was a mortal, he was powered by not one, but two pieces of the berserker staff. His rage would power his hits, and Loki didn't want to take the risk that he might—just _might_ —lose.

"Nystrom!" he called, getting the man's attention. "You wanted to be a god, correct? Let's see if you have the power to kill one, then." Nystrom came at him, hitting him in the side with the piece of the staff he had. It looked like he'd actually assembled the pieces he and Larsen had collected. Loki's hand went to his side as the pain began to spread. Well, then. It looked like this would be more difficult than he thought.

At Nystrom's second swing, he jumped back, finding himself standing on one of the church benches. Nystrom swung for his legs this time, but Loki stepped to the side before lunging, kicking the man in the chest. Nystrom landed a few feet away, losing his grip on the staff. Loki stalked over and kicked it to the side. He couldn't risk the mortal getting his hands on it again. He grabbed him by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall, making sure the man's head cracked against the wall. He was unconscious... for the moment. Having as much energy from the staff coursing through him as he did, Loki wasn't sure how long he'd stay down.

He looked over to see Ward grabbing the other piece of the staff as more people ran into the building. Nystrom's followers, no doubt. Ward went after them in a manner not unlike what Loki had seen of Thor when they were younger. That reckless brute force, just like on Jotunheim. But unlike Thor, rather than arrogant joy, Ward's actions were fueled solely by rage. He had to put a stop to this madness.

Between Ward and himself, taking down the rest of the followers was easy. Now there was only one thing left to do.

"Agent Ward," Loki began. "You need to let go of the staff. Now."

Ward glared at him, and it looked like he was about to attack when his breathing grew labored and he fell to the ground, dropping both pieces. It appeared the exhaustion had finally hit. Loki looked at the pieces of the staff. He walked over to them, prepared to stop Ward should he try to make a grab for them.

Just as he reached the pieces, the door slammed open and Larsen stormed in, trailed by even more followers.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Skye muttered, and Ward was indeed about to make a grab for the staff. So Loki did the first thing he could think of.

He picked both pieces up and snapped the broken sides together, joining them to become a single staff once more. He gasped as the wind rushed out of him, as though he'd been struck. He grimaced. Just like that, he was back in the palace, staring up at the man who'd claimed to be his father.

 _"So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me?" he'd asked, voice trembling with emotion._

 _"Why do you twist my words?" Odin had said. He'd sounded pained, but what he'd felt was nothing compared to Loki._

 _His voice had risen. "You could have told me what I was from the beginning! Why didn't you?"_

 _"You're my son," Odin had lied. "I only wanted to protect you from the truth."_

 _That had made him snap. "What, because I-I-I am the monster parents tell their children about at night?" he'd choked out through unshed tears. He'd covered it with a mask of rage, advancing on the Allfather. "You know, it all makes sense now, why you favored Thor all these years. Because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!"_

"Loki, put the staff down," a woman's voice said, pulling him back into the present. He found himself staring at the hardened face of Melinda May. He looked down at the staff and dropped it as though he'd been burned. But even though he was no longer touching it, his own words kept playing through his head, over and over: the monster parents tell their children about at night.

May picked up the staff, and Loki backed away. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the memories the staff had brought to the forefront of his mind.

As though she could see his struggle, Skye said, "Fitz-Simmons and Coulson might need some help up there." She nodded toward the stairs. Without a word, Loki ran, taking them two at a time until he reached the top, where Randolph lay in the middle of the floor, surrounded by Fitz-Simmons and Coulson.

"What happened?" he asked, forcing his emotions into a tiny box. They'd probably come back full force later, but he needed to focus on the task at hand—whatever that task may be.

"Nystrom stabbed him with the staff," Coulson replied. "If we don't act fast, he'll die, but we don't know what to do, none of us are familiar with Asgardian biology."

"Asgardians heal significantly faster than humans do—but of course, you know that—so if we can stop the internal bleeding until he starts healing properly, he'll make it. But we don't have any tools to be able to—" Simmons was cut off by Loki rolling up his sleeve and shoving his hand in the hole in Randolph's chest.

"Where is the bleeding?" he asked.

"His heart, most likely," Simmons told him. He felt around a bit until he found the beating organ. It was a little too irregular for his liking, so he ran his fingers along the surface lightly until he found the rupture and held two fingers tightly against it. It wouldn't take long for the wound to heal.

"That's... one way to do it," Coulson said, staring.

"Do you want him to live or not?" Loki asked. Even as he spoke, he could feel the rupture slowly close.

Randolph groaned. "Am I dead?" he asked weakly.

"Apparently not," Coulson said with a small smile.

 _ **X**_

"Wait, you just shoved your hand inside his chest?" Skye asked Loki.

"No one quite knew what to do," Simmons said. "I froze and..."

"You didn't freeze," Fitz began, but he was cut off by Simmons's phone ringing. When she pulled it out to look, she received meaningful looks from Loki, Skye, and Fitz. She nodded, answering the phone and walking away to talk.

 _ **X**_

Loki hadn't slept that night. They'd brought him back to the Bus, stuck him in the Cage, and slapped the cuffs back on him, but he was becoming too consumed by his emotions at that point to care. He could only ignore those memories for so long, and now that there was nothing else for him to turn his attention to, they came back full force.

Everyone else was staying in a hotel in town, but it didn't surprise him that he wasn't invited. How could he have ever thought he'd belong here? S.H.I.E.L.D. was just the same as Odin. Locking him up until he was useful. And once they were done with him, they locked him back up. He wasn't a person. He was a resource, a tool.

A monster.

 _ **X**_

It was early the next morning that he got a visitor. To his surprise, it was May.

"What happened out there?" she asked him. "You could have used the staff against them, or even against us, but you didn't. Why?" When he didn't answer, she placed both hands on the table and leaned in. "What did you see?" To his surprise, her tone wasn't harsh or demanding. By no means was it calm or comforting, but from May it might as well have been.

"What about you?" he asked, trying to turn attention away from himself. "You saw the lasting effects it had on Ward. After everything was over, you didn't seem too affected by it. Why?"

She shook her head. "Nice try, but this isn't about me. I want to know what you saw."

Loki was quiet for a long time, but when he realized she wouldn't go away until she received an answer, he looked her in the eye, careful to erase any trace of emotion from his expression. "I saw the day I learned I was a monster." He didn't give her anything more than that, and when she realized he wasn't going to, she left, leaving Loki alone with his thoughts once more.

 **Okay, I gotta say, this right here, this was my favorite chapter to date. It's up a little early as kind of an apology to you guys for making you wait so long. I hope you like it as much as I did. And to clear a few things us: if Loki seems a little more relaxed, he is. It was his choice to come back, so he doesn't feel as much pressure on him. And (most of) the others are more relaxed because they recognize that he came back on his own, meaning he wants to be here, making it less likely that he would turn on him. And Coulson, meanwhile, just knew that Loki would be important to have in this little operation. And I know the order of events is a little weird in some of these last sections, but it was the only way it would really work out. So Randolph was able to survive on his own a little longer than in canon, giving Loki plenty of time to make it up there.**

 **More credit to pokemon fan 98. Not only was she yet again my very helpful beta, but the little 'Fitz-Simmons joke' Loki made was her idea. I've been waiting for an opportunity to put that in there, but it just wouldn't present itself. Until now. (And you better believe it'll persist, because Loki is, well... Loki).**

 **See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~**


	9. Quid pro quo

**Now here we are with chapter 9. I'm sorry this took forever, I took a while figuring our exactly what Loki's role here would be, and then of course, Christmas rolled around, and there's the whole novelty of new gifts that I've been taking advantage of (especially since I go back to school soon, and it's not coming up with me, so I have to take advantage of it while I can). We've seen Loki slowly (very slowly) start to earn the trust of the team—sans Coulson, of course. Also, please remember that Ward recognized how he was... not himself under the influence of the berserker staff. Just keep that in mind near the beginning here.**

 **Disclaimer: refer to chapter 1**

"So, what was up with Loki?" Coulson asked when May entered his office.

"He said he saw..." She paused. Loki had told her that in confidence, but at the same time... this was Phil. "He saw the day he 'learned he was a monster'."

Coulson was quiet for a long time, and May had a feeling he knew more than he was letting on. She decided to let it go, at least for now. For the moment, at least, it wasn't important.

And it wasn't like she was telling him everything, either.

 _ **X**_

Loki had had enough time to school his features by the time Ward came around. In fact, had none of them seen his... incident with the berserker staff, no one would know anything was wrong in the first place. He could only hope that May had kept quiet about what he revealed to her.

"I just wanted to say thanks," the agent told him before he could speak, sitting across from him. "For helping us with the staff, and for... well, what happened in the lab."

"When you went off on Fitz-Simmons and I had to knock you out?" Loki asked. "I only did it because you were becoming annoying."

"Right," Ward said, unconvinced. "But seriously. Thanks. I was... really out of line and definitely needed some sense knocked into me."

"For all the good it did you when we acquired the rest of the staff," Loki replied dryly. "I didn't see you with much sense then. In fact, you reminded me a bit of my brother."

Ward looked thoughtful. "I wouldn't mind being compared to Thor," he said.

"Believe me, it wasn't a compliment." He leaned back with steepled fingers. "What did you end up doing with Randolph?" he asked.

"We let him go," Ward replied. "It's not like we had a reason to keep him here. He wasn't hurting anyone."

"And now he's returned to being a professor, teaching his own history as though it were myth?" Loki guessed.

"Most likely," Ward said, standing to leave. "I don't know what it was that the staff showed you, but whatever it was... I know it had to have been hard to relive."

Loki watched as the door closed behind the retreating agent. "Believe me, Agent Ward, you know nothing."

 _ **X**_

Skye watched as Coulson left with Ward and May. She and Fitz-Simmons knew about all of this, but she doubted their special Asgardian guest had been informed. As usual. She had a few minutes to fix that before she had to join them.

When she entered the Cage, Loki looked up. "If you're here to ask about what happened in the monastery, I suggest you turn around and leave," he warned.

Skye paused. Between the aftermath of the staff and this new thing with the possibly telekinetic woman, she'd forgotten about that. But since he didn't seem like he was in a chatty mood about it... "No, actually I'm here to give you an update. We sent the staff to be locked up in some super-secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, so it's safe. No one else is gonna be touching it any time soon."

"Good," Loki replied. "Agent Ward told me Randolph has been sent along on his merry way."

Skye nodded. "We also just found someone who might have to be put on the Index."

"Oh?" Loki asked, adjusting his position, now more interested.

"Yeah, she might be telekinetic. You know—"

"Moving objects with the power of her mind, yes, I know," the alien interjected. "Why does everyone assume I don't know these terms?"

"What?"

"Fitz-Simmons felt the need to define pyrokinesis for me," he explained.

"Oh. Well, anyway, some of us are leaving to kind of... see if she is," Skye told him. "And if she _is_ telekinetic, then she has to register on the Index... however that happens. I'm not sure bringing May was the best idea to try to get to someone when they might be freaking out, since we all know she's not really the best in the 'comfort' department, but..." She paused for a moment. "You know, you might be getting out of here for a little bit again, soon. I don't know how this whole thing happens, but if we're taking her anywhere, she's probably gonna be stuck in here. Maybe you can hang out with me and Fitz-Simmons."

"If Coulson trusts me enough to leave me with you, unsupervised," Loki stated dryly.

"I think he might give you a chance," she replied. "A small one, at least." She smiled a little. "After all, you didn't have to come back, but you did anyway. And I think that means a lot." She glanced at her watch. "I better get going. See you later."

 _ **X**_

Loki turned from the screen to the others. "And why exactly does _she_ get a mattress?"

"To help keep her calm, maybe?" Simmons guessed. "So she doesn't freak out and have some sort of... episode?"

"She did bust a car through a crowd into a telephone pole when she got upset before," Skye commented. "Who knows what she could do to the Bus?"

"I added some extra protection to it a little while back," Fitz started. "Some magnetic shielding, so it should keep her from affecting anything outside it."

"When did you find time to do that?" Loki asked. He couldn't recall any time where he'd been removed in order for Fitz to do some work on the Cage.

"It was while you were with Thor," Fitz replied. "I thought it would be a good time. No one was there, and if anything ever happened like the incident with the Chitauri helmet again... no one would have to jump out of a plane."

Loki looked at Simmons. "I'm still not entirely sure I understand that decision."

"All the other victims of the virus released a strong electrostatic pulse. Without an antiserum, I would have, and it would have blown the Bus out of the sky. So I... got off the Bus," Simmons defended.

"I don't believe anyone ever told me how you got back on," Loki said. "I understand Ward must have had something to do with it, but beyond that..."

"I gave him the antiserum and he jumped out of the plane, administered it, and pulled his parachute so they landed in the ocean safely," Fitz replied.

Loki shook his head in mild disbelief. "I don't understand how humans have survived this long, making stupid decisions like that."

"Hey, look, she's waking up," Skye said, cutting off their conversation and pointing to the screen. Coulson and May were walking into the Cage. She looked at Simmons, who was closest to the monitor. "Could you turn up the volume? I wanna hear this."

Simmons paused. "Are you sure we should eavesdrop?" she asked hesitantly.

"Should anything happen, it might be a good idea to fully understand the situation," Loki pointed out. "And we can't do that very well if we can't hear what they're saying."

"Alright," she said quietly, adjusting the volume of the camera feed.

"—some water," Coulson was saying, holding a bottle toward the woman who had backed into the corner. He set it down gently in front of her before taking a few steps back. "It's okay. I'm Phil. This is Melinda May."

"How did I get here?" the woman asked quietly.

"I sedated you," May informed her.

Loki turned to Skye. "Define 'sedated'," he said in a hushed tone.

"She shot her with a night-night gun," the brunette replied just as quietly. Loki smiled a bit to himself at the image it brought.

"I apologize for bringing you in that way," Coulson told the woman. "Things were escalating."

At everyone else's questioning look, Skye whispered, "I did say she busted a car through a telephone pole."

"Oh Lord, what have I done?" the woman was saying quietly when they tuned back into the conversation.

Coulson approached her slowly. "I promise you, Miss Hutchins, nobody was hurt back there."

Hutchins... At least Loki now had a name to put to the grainy face.

"Wherever I go, things turn bad," Hutchins said in a shaking voice.

"Were you angry at those people, back at the house?" May asked.

Hutchins shook her head. "No... I know most of them. _They_ were angry. I understand. Oh, god... The way Frank's wife was looking at me..."

"Frank Delacort," Coulson stated. "He died in the accident."

"Accident?" Loki asked, turning to Fitz-Simmons.

"There was an explosion, a particle accelerator," Fitz explained. "Four people died, and Hutchins was apparently the safety inspector. A lot of people blame her for it."

"It also might be what gave her telekinetic powers, if she really has them," Simmons continued. "But it's still just a working theory."

The group watched as Coulson and May left the Cage before Fitz-Simmons went to check on their computer readouts. "Anything?" Skye asked.

Simmons shook her head. "No, everything seems normal. These readings are entirely within average ranges. Of course, it's hard to find something when you don't know what you're looking for. All I can tell from these brainwaves is that she's upset."

"I think we all picked up on that," Skye pointed out. She looked at Loki. "Any ideas?"

"I'm not entirely sure how humans can obtain these types of powers in the first place," Loki replied. "This woman, Chan Ho Yin, Mike Peterson..." At the questioning look he received, he clarified, "He was in the file on Centipede I was given to read before we went in after Chan. I know of certain magics that could mimic telekinetic abilities, but it would take decades, if not centuries, to accomplish the feats Miss Hutchins seems to have." He glanced back at the monitor. "I doubt her mental state is being helped by May's presence. She _is_ the one who sedated her."

"Things got out of hand," Fitz said. "May sorted it out. She's the Cavalry."

"She's the what?" Loki asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah, you guys mentioned it before, but where does that name even come from?" Skye queried.

"Didn't Ward tell you?" Simmons asked.

Skye shook her head, and Loki simply said, "He's never in much of a chatting mood around me."

Loki could practically see the light bulb go on in Simmons's head. "Neither of you spent any time at the Academy," she stated. He could recognize that tone from a mile away. And the look she gave Fitz practically broadcasted that they were up to something. He was interested to see where they would go with this. "It's quite a story."

"Well, imagine if you will," Fitz started. "A heavily secured compound. Manama, Bahrain. Multiple S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are taken hostage, tortured for information. May's mission: eliminate the threat."

"You mean kill people," Skye guessed.

"Not people," Simmons said, shaking her head grimly. "Entire squads of mercenaries, almost a hundred."

"More than a hundred," Fitz jumped in.

"More than a hundred men, heavily armed. Her vehicle got totaled, so she rode in."

"And, um, she had an M-249 in each hand."

"Right. Each hand. And she rode in on a horse."

"Hence the name. The Cavalry," Fitz finished.

Skye raised a brow. "Is this real?"

"She eliminated the enemy threat single-handedly," Simmons replied.

"She saw a lot of hurt that day," Fitz informed them.

"Is that why she's so...?" Skye began.

"Happy?" Simmons segued, handing Fitz one of the small drones, essentially cutting story time short.

Fitz placed the small drone—dwarves, Loki remembered them being called, though he had no idea why—in a small holder connected to the table's monitor. "Particle accelerator data loading." He touched a few places and a holographic image appeared in front of them. Skye looked amazed, but Loki had seen several similar devices on Asgard. Granted, it was quite rare to see something this advanced on Midgard, but still.

He watched as Skye tried to touch one of the holographic parts, getting her hand slapped away. His eyes followed as she left. As soon as she was out the door, he looked at Fitz-Simmons and tsked. "You were doing so well until the horse," he chastised, shaking his head.

 _ **X**_

Loki leaned against the wall, watching the others with interest. As his normal prison was still occupied, he was still under supervision. And since everyone was all gathered together...

"Delusions of being persecuted aren't that uncommon after trauma," Simmons said.

"She's certainly been through her fair share," Ward stated.

"Why demons, though?" Loki asked. "I'd understand if she assumed she was being haunted by the spirits of those who died in the explosion..."

Coulson glared, and Loki knew the agent still wasn't happy he was listening in on the situation, much less trying to be a part of it. Skye, however, decided to answer him. "It's a really church-heavy community. So demons make more sense than—wait, could this actually be demons? Or ghosts?" She looked at him curiously.

"While there are creatures throughout the Nine Realms that humans may see as demons, few know how to cross between realms without the Bifrost or some other transportation that uses a lot of energy. Energy that S.H.I.E.L.D. would no doubt be alerted of," Loki answered. "As for ghosts... also doubtful. I imagine it would take quite a bit of energy just to return to this world for even a short period of time. For a simple accident, I don't think anyone would be quite that angry with her."

Coulson looked at the others—pointedly avoiding Loki. "Look over the accident site," he told them. "If that tragedy gave her powers, we need to shut them down. If it wasn't her fault, even better. But until then, she's a danger to all of us."

With that, the group went their separate ways, Loki deeming to follow Ward. Not usually his first choice, but he needed to talk to May, and to do that, he needed to be somewhere he could catch her whenever she decided to leave Coulson's side. Before he could take a step though, he felt something... off. He couldn't quite place it, but something just didn't feel right. He turned, feeling as though something was there, but when he looked, all he saw was an empty hallway.

 _ **X**_

Loki watched from his seat on the couch as Ward was doing something in the kitchen. All he had to do was wait.

Soon enough, May and Skye both left Coulson's office, Skye heading over to join Loki and Ward while May slipped away, down to the hangar. Loki stood, following her. Before Ward could protest in any way, he called over his shoulder, "Relax, I'll still be with an agent." He didn't hear Ward's reply as he continued to walk.

When he reached the hangar, May was already going at it with a punching bag. He watched for a moment, leaning on the railing of the stairs, but before he could even open his mouth, she spoke. "What do you want, Loki?"

"Who have you told?" he asked.

"Told what?" she asked, not letting up on her assault on the punching bag.

His eyes narrowed. "You know what. After the incident with the staff."

She stopped this time, stabilizing the bag before looking up at him. "Only Coulson." She crossed her arms. "Is that all you wanted?"

He shook his head. "I have one more question," he told her. "What is the story of the Cavalry?"

"That's none of your business," she growled, returning her attention to the bag.

Loki wasn't done yet. "On the contrary," he stated. "If I'm going to be assisting on this team, as I've proved that I can, it's best for me to know all I can about everyone here. Besides, Fitz-Simmons fed me and Skye a ridiculous story including a horse and a pair of M-249s." He paused. "Whatever those are. Nonetheless, I became curious."

May ignored him for a full five minutes, but he simply watched her. He wasn't going to give up so easily.

"You're not going to drop this, are you?" she finally asked.

He smirked. "Now you're getting it."

She looked at him, quirking an eyebrow. "How about this: quid pro quo. You ask me a question, I get to ask you a question. Honest answers. Sound fair?"

Loki hesitated. He could lie through all of this easily, feed her fabricated answers. But she had also seen him at his most vulnerable. He'd revealed something he'd hoped no one would ever learn. After having revealed it to Coulson, of course. May might not know what he meant, but there was a good chance she could find out. And if she suspected he was lying—which she very well might; if anyone on this team could see through his deceptions it would be her—she would shut down this little agreement. And this was the perfect time to gather information on her and the rest of the team that he might not otherwise get the opportunity to learn. He hadn't been lying, he _was_ curious as to the story behind the Cavalry.

"Very well," he finally replied. "However, the first question is mine."

May nodded after a brief moment. "I suppose that's fair."

"Why do they call you the Cavalry?" he asked.

She looked at him with an expression he knew far too well—stony, blank, pushing down all emotions. He'd worn that mask himself all too often. "What did Fitz-Simmons tell you?"

Loki shook his head. "That's not part of the agreement," he told her. "Answering a question with another question seems to defeat the purpose."

She paused for a long moment. "It was like this. The 'Welcome Wagon', Skye wants to call it. A gifted individual, and it went south."

"What happened?"

May shook her head. "My turn. You said that you saw the day you learned you were a monster. What does that mean?"

"Mm, quite a long story," Loki replied, yet again compartmentalizing his emotions. He'd always been quite good at it, but these days it seemed he was becoming an expert.

"We have a few hours," May said plainly.

Loki gave a humorless laugh. "Do you know what Frost Giants are?" Before May call him out on 'replying with a question', he added, "Simply a clarification. Not my next question."

"No," she replied.

"Put simply, Asgardians are taught that Jotunns, otherwise known as Frost Giants, are what you might call the monsters under the bed. The creatures that come to take naughty children away."

"The boogeymen."

Loki nodded. "Yes. The Jotunns once tried to invade Midgard, but Asgard went to war with them and stopped them from doing so, over a thousand years ago." He paused, smirking when he knew she wanted him to continue. "My turn."

"That's not the whole story," May accused.

"I did say it was a long one," he replied. "I'd prefer to tell it in increments. As, it seems, you would, as well. What happened when you went to find this gifted individual?"

"This person had a large group of followers. Worshipers, maybe. They had some people trapped, a girl and some of ours. Someone had to go in and get them out," she informed him.

"That someone was you," Loki stated.

She nodded. "How do you fit in with this war with the Frost Giants?"

"It was the aftermath of the battle," he began. "Odin was wading through Jotunn corpses when he came across a temple. A temple with a single Frost Giant, a runt of a baby, left abandoned to die." He tried not to imagine how that must have looked. The image had tried to paint itself in his mind several times since he'd learned the truth; the cold, dark plains of Jotunnheim, a temple, ruined by the damages of war, with him, a single baby, left surrounded by the bodies of the dead. How pathetic he must have looked to the Allfather's weary eye. "How did you manage to rescue those hostages?"

Loki hadn't thought it possible, but May's expression seemed to grow even colder. "I crossed out the problem," she said plainly. "Got everyone out alive. What happened after Odin took you?"

She hadn't even bothered to ask if he had been that baby. Then again, the answer to that was quite obvious. "I'm not sure whether I shapeshifted with natural abilities to look more like the one who saved me, or if Odin placed a glamour on me, but when he returned with me to Asgard, I looked like all other Asgardian children. He raised me as his child, alongside Thor, leaving me ignorant of my true heritage until I discovered it myself." His grip on the railing tightened slightly at the memory. Thanks to the influence of the staff it was as fresh in his mind as though it had only happened yesterday. Steering the conversation away for the moment, he said, "I imagine the incident is quite a nasty memory. If not, you wouldn't be so hesitant to share it. So why are you back in the field, Agent May? I would have thought you'd want to leave this all behind."

"I did," she told him. "But then Coulson asked."

He studied her for a moment. That wasn't the entire truth, he could tell there was more to the story. Then again, she hadn't really _lied_ , so she hadn't broken the terms of their agreement, either. He'd let it slide, just this once.

"So, how did you discover what you were?"

It took everything he had to not flinch at those words. ' _What_ he was'. A monster. "It began after Thor decided to attack Jotunnheim." He decided to leave out the part involving him sneaking Jotunns into Asgard during Thor's coronation ceremony. "A Frost Giant's touch instills frostbite. I, however, came into contact with one and all that happened was..." His eyes moved to his hand, in plain sight, as it went from the standard pink to a pale blue. Frost began to form on the metal railing, so as soon as he knew May had seen it, he changed his arm back. "As I'm sure you can imagine, I became suspicious."

"But that wasn't real proof," May stated.

"True," Loki replied. He decided to turn his questions in a more general route. "Why are Fitz-Simmons here? They hardly seem trained for the dangers you face."

"They're not," she said. "They never passed their field exams. But Coulson needed them. They were the brightest of their class at the Academy, and we needed more than just brute force."

There it was again, not the whole truth without an actual lie. Just what was it that Agent May was trying to hide?

As though she knew what he was thinking, she added, "Fury thought it would be a good idea, too. Me and Ward, we're more fit for the field. But we need Fitz-Simmons, especially if we're facing something like Centipede. So, how did you end up knowing for sure?"

Loki was quiet for a long moment. Despite every effort, a lump was beginning to form in his throat. Something gripped his heart and pulled, twisted, tore apart everything he tried to hide. He closed his eyes before they could betray his pain in one way or another. He had to calm down. He couldn't show this kind of weakness, not to anyone. Had he been having this conversation a week ago, it would be no problem, he would be fine, but now... he could hear his own words so clearly, feel the cold flow through him as his hands gripped the Casket of Ancient Winters... Feel his whole world unravel around him as he was told everything he knew, his entire life, had been nothing but a lie.

It took a few minutes, but he managed to compose himself. He was grateful that May didn't say anything about it. "Odin took something else that day, at the end of the war. The heart of Jotunnheim, if you will. The Casket of Ancient Winters. When we returned to Asgard after our little venture, I went to the treasure vault. It was all we had of Jotunnheim, all that could... focus my core, I suppose. And when I held it, I saw the truth. I changed. When Odin arrived, knowing something was amiss in the treasure vault, he finally told me. There was no point in hiding it anymore." He thought for a moment, searching for his next question. "Where does Skye fit into this team? You, Ward, and Fitz-Simmons were drafted by Coulson. But she isn't even a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. I remember her being brought on the Bus for interrogation, but what made her different from all the rest?"

"She was helpful," May answered. "She had skills we could use, and Coulson took a liking to her. We have our field agents, we have our science experts, but we didn't have anyone really computer-savvy. Skye managed to hack S.H.I.E.L.D. from a laptop in her van."

"And because of that, you also couldn't risk her being left out in the open, to her own devices, able to hack S.H.I.E.L.D. whenever she wanted again," Loki guessed.

May nodded. "Did Odin tell you why he took you?"

Loki wore a mirthless smile. "He wanted to use me as a way to... bridge the gap between Jotunnheim and Asgard." _'... permanent peace...'_ "I was..." _'...stolen relic...'_ "Laufey's son... Son of the king of Jotunnheim." _'... might have use of me...'_ He didn't speak after that. He was becoming so broken down by the freshness of the memory, by putting his story into spoken word... He didn't trust himself not to break down right then and there, for his carefully crafted mask to shatter and all the feelings he'd spent so long trying to suppress surging forward in a mess he could never allow anyone to see.

He was spared from saying anything else when the power went out. Everything went black for a moment before being lit by a faint red glow.

"Stay here," May told him, moving to the stairs, sliding past him as she went up. "We're going down."

Loki stared at her as she went, eyes stuck on the door even after she was gone. They were going down. They were falling... again.

 _ **X**_

Loki was gripping the railing as the plane shook when Coulson and Simmons made it through the door. He barely registered someone grabbing his wrist, pulling him down the rest of the way, and practically throwing him into one of the seats on the wall, now pulled down. Coulson and Simmons were strapping themselves in, but no matter how much he tried to compose himself, Loki's hands were shaking too much to properly work the straps. He pretended not to noticed as Simmons placed her hands over his, guiding him through it. For the second time today, he was glad no one said anything about his inability to fully keep himself together.

He wished they'd never found that stupid staff.

There was a jolt, signaling they had landed, and Loki forced himself to breathe. They were on solid ground. They had landed safely. The visions of empty space were gone.

He managed to undo the straps and follow Coulson as he and Simmons left, Simmons holding a flashlight.

"Our ear comms are usually relayed through the plane, so here's some hardware," Coulson said as they approached a shelf. May, Ward, and Skye met them there. Coulson handed each of them—including Loki, to the alien's surprise—a small radio. To Loki's further surprise, he removed the key from his pocket and removed the handcuffs. At his confused expression, Coulson said, "We might need all hands on deck for this one."

"Did the girl do this to us, sir?" Ward asked.

Coulson shook his head. "We believe Miss Hutchins is the victim here. Our theories about her powers have been disproven."

"How so?" Loki asked, having somehow forced himself to project some semblance of his normal calm demeanor. He ignored the raised brow he received from May, the only indication anyone gave that they knew his façade was just that. A façade.

"I saw a ghost," Simmons stated quickly. At everyone's look, she sighed. "I... I know how it sounds, but a man attacked me, and then he disappeared."

"Did you get a good look at him?" May asked.

"He dematerialized!" Simmons exclaimed defensively.

"May, run your systems checks," Coulson ordered. "Is the Cage still shielded?"

"Most of the power's dedicated to it," she answered simply.

"This man, or whatever he is, has been tormenting Miss Hutchins," Coulson said. "The Cage might be the one thing protecting her right now. We'll inform her."

"Sir," Skye jumped in. "Can it be me to talk to Hanna? Her life has been turned upside-down, and we stuck her in a nightmare box." Despite himself, Loki found himself smirking slightly at the description. "She thinks she's being punished. Can I please be the one to deliver the good news?"

"That a non-corporeal madman is hunting her?" Ward asked skeptically.

Loki looked from one agent to the next. They seemed a bit preoccupied with finding the answer to this issue, and no one was watching him anymore. He needed time to really clear his head if he was going to be of any use to anyone, and the best way to do that was to be alone. With no one noticing, he slipped away, into the shadows.

 _ **X**_

"Alright. I'll head upstairs, activate the emergency transceiver, and radio HQ. Ward, take a firearm." He nodded toward Simmons. "Escort Fitz-Simmons downstairs, assess the damage, get us up and running."

"Wait," Simmons said suddenly. "Guys, um... where's Fitz?"

Coulson frowned. "Change of plans. Ward, you take Simmons and Loki, find Fitz, _then_ get us up and running."

There was a pause as everyone looked at each other and realized they were down one member.

"Dammit!" Coulson yelled. Their resident alien megalomaniac was gone.

 _ **X**_

Loki was finally starting to feel more stable when something felt off again. From what he'd picked up over the radio, this man was traveling between this world and another, though not by choice. This was similar to the feeling he'd had earlier. Before he could react, something hard met his shoulder, causing him to stumble forward. He turned, seeing what he assumed to be the 'ghost' that had been following Miss Hutchins. Well, if he was solid enough to land a hit on Loki...

He ducked back from the next swing of the wrench before going in low, ramming an elbow into the man's stomach. The man doubled over, but before he could recover, Loki already had his arm in tight hold, ready to dislocate it with ease. Before he could do so, however, the man vanished. Loki glared at the spot in which the man had once been, left hand reaching to touch his injured right shoulder. He'd ignored the pain while fighting the man, but now that that distraction was gone, it was really starting to hit. He moved it experimentally, pleased to discover nothing was broken. He would still heal from that fairly quickly, but with no magic, it would have taken days.

It was going to hurt for quite a while, though.

 _ **X**_

It wasn't long after that that he glanced out the window to see May leaving with the woman. From what he knew, this 'ghost' was after her, and he was of no use to anyone on the Bus. With that thought, he headed for cargo bay, already open. He slipped out silently, following in the direction he'd seen May take the woman.

He caught up with them quickly enough, keeping just out of earshot, measuring his steps carefully and remaining vigilant of his surroundings. He was glad to have a task he could focus on. It was a good way of distracting himself.

When May and Hutchins entered a barn, he made his way around the side before stepping out of the trees. He didn't want to risk getting caught. Whatever plan May had, he found himself trusting her judgment. He wasn't about to be the one to screw this up. Coulson already had enough things to go at him for, and ruining this was not going to be one of them. But if May needed backup... well, it would be a good thing he followed them, then.

When he got to the door, he stood pressed against it, listening.

Hutchins was crying softly. "Then what will you do?" he heard her ask.

"Whatever I have to," May said.

Several minutes passed, and Loki was about to look and see for himself if anything was happening when he heard a strange noise, followed by Hutchins saying, "Tobias? Is that you?"

It was only a few seconds after that before the familiar sound of combat began. Loki turned, still standing to the side, but looking through the open doorway. May was making good work of him... when she could get her hands on him.

Loki really wished he had his magic. He could easily keep this man rooted in their world, stopping him from pulling his little disappearing act.

He almost stepped in when May went down, but stopped himself. A simple hit like that wouldn't keep Melinda May down for long, from what he'd learned about her. And this looked to be a battle she needed to fight on her own. Loki would only step in if there was no other choice.

May pulled Hutchins to the side. "Stay here," she said before the man—Tobias—came at her again. He watched as the support beam broke, and Tobias moved to protect Hutchins. He didn't particularly care about that last point. His eyes were on May as she stood.

"It's okay," May said, pulling Hutchins into an embrace that the latter clearly needed. "Tell him I won't hurt you," she said as she let go.

"Tobias, wait, she's a friend," Hutchins said as Tobias stood. Loki allowed himself to relax when all signs of aggression left Tobias and he looked at Hutchins. He didn't care much for the story between the two of them, but he watched nonetheless. He rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the man's actions. He'd caused several deaths for nothing. Loki found it ridiculous.

"You can't undo what's been done," May was saying when he focused back in. "That will be with you forever. But trying to hold on to this life, clinging to the person you thought you could be... that's Hell. And you're dragging her down with you." Loki looked up curiously as a golden light slowly approached from the other side of the barn. "You have to let go, before my people come and make you do it. If you care about her, and I know you do, let her go."

Loki heard the sound of several footsteps approaching. Glancing over, he saw the others nearing, Coulson looking ready to yell at him. He held up on arm toward them while putting his finger to his lips, eyes darting to the inside of the barn and back with the slight tilt of his head. He dropped his arm when it was clear they understood. The approached the barn, saying nothing.

"Let the girl go, Tobias," May was saying. Tobias reached up and grabbed Hutchins's hand. "Let the girl go," May repeated. After that, the man faded into a strange misty dust.

Skye ran in to comfort Hutchins, and the others entered the barn as well, Coulson more slowly than the rest. Loki didn't move from his spot in the doorway. He watched their interactions, the way they were there for each other, how they worried about each other, and realized that he would never be one of them. It wasn't until that moment that he realized that he wanted to be. He wanted to belong somewhere, for once in his life, but... He was a fool for ever thinking he would be anything other than a misfit. He had nowhere he belonged. In Asgard, he was a monster and a criminal. In Jotunnheim, he was the murderer of their king. And here on Midgard, well... he was the evil, alien would-be king.

After May was finished talking with Coulson, she walked over to Loki. "You followed me," she said.

"I was of no use on the Bus," he replied honestly. "I decided I'd step in if you needed my help. The 'Cavalry's cavalry', you could say. But it appears you didn't need my help after all." He glanced behind him. "Perhaps I should be getting back. I assume you'll be letting Miss Hutchins stay somewhere more comfortable, meaning that I will be sent back to the Cage. So I'd rather go there myself than have someone drag me."

With that, he turned on his heel and left.

 _ **X**_

May watched Loki go. She hadn't expected to learn nearly as much about him as she had today. She hadn't expected him to take her up on her offer, nor did she expect him to be as honest as he was. And she could tell that he _was_ honest. No fabricated story could cause someone as much pain as she'd seen in him. And just now, before he left... he looked vulnerable in a way she'd never seen him before. He seemed... almost upset that she didn't need his help. Thinking back, she realized the only time anyone really interacted with him, save for Skye, and sometimes Fitz-Simmons, was when they needed him for something, or they had nowhere else to put him. From the sound of it, that almost seemed to be exactly how things had been for him growing up.

By no means did she forgive him, but maybe... just maybe, she was starting to understand him.

 _ **X**_

Loki was somewhat surprised to see that no one had taken out the mattress they'd given Hutchins. Sitting on it, he stared at the door, which he'd closed behind him. With this being his prison, he'd rather be locked in of his own volition than have someone else close the door on him. It gave him the thinnest illusion that he had a choice in the matter.

Now that he was alone and unoccupied, he was left to his thoughts once again. He hadn't ever wanted to share as much about himself as he had with Agent May. There were still several things he hadn't told her, such as what happened on the Bifrost, or his time in the void. And if he had any say in the matter, it would stay that way. The idea that someone knew this much about him, made him a bit uncomfortable. Though strangely... not as uncomfortable as he thought it would.

 **So, the thing with Coulson removing Loki's cuffs was kind of a last-minute addition, because I honestly forgot he was still wearing them. But they needed the be off for certain parts of this chapter, so... yeah.**

 **Anyway,** _ **huge**_ **thanks to pokemon fan 98, because without her this chapter wouldn't have gone anywhere close to the direction it did, and this is all really important. I didn't expect it to get this heavy, but I think it needed to. Loki's not gonna make any progress unless he does something, so opening up to May about his past, even though he said little about how he felt about the whole thing... well, it's a huge step for him. But pokemon fan 98 was the one to suggest that Loki talk to May to see who she had told, after I was completely stumped on where to go. I know I say this a lot, but this might be one of my favorite chapters so far (but I'll probably end up liking my plans for a later chapter—11, I think—even more).**

 **See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~**


	10. We collect 'raging homicidal maniacs'

**Alright, this chapter is a little shorter than the last few, because Loki doesn't play a huge part in it. I'm well aware that there are a few ways he could, but he's not** _ **quite**_ **there yet when it comes to Coulson's trust level.**

 **Disclaimer: refer to chapter 1**

It wasn't too long after he'd returned to the Bus that the door to the Cage opened. It was inevitable, of course. Someone had to come and shackle him again, after all.

It turned out to be Coulson, but to Loki's surprise, he didn't look angry, or even irritated that he had left the Bus to follow May. "May told me you went out there to help her," he stated as he placed the cuffs on the alien's wrists. "You didn't have to."

"I noticed," Loki replied. "She is quite capable of taking care of herself."

"That's not what I meant," the agent said. "You had no obligation to go after her."

Loki raised a brow. "I thought that was what I was here for. To assist when you needed it."

"You could have done that on the plane. For all we knew, Tobias Ford could have stayed on it, going after us, instead. We could have used you as a defense against him. But instead, you saw May leave and trusted her gut enough to follow her plan." His expression turned slightly quizzical. "But you didn't fight him yourself, either. You could have tried to take him down, tried to get us to see you as a 'good guy', the one to save us. But you didn't. Why?"

"Some battles, you must fight on your own," Loki replied. "This seemed to be a situation similar to the event that earned her the title of the Cavalry. At least, enough for it to affect her. When drawn into something like this, you have to face your own demons."

Coulson studied him for a moment, and the God of Mischief wasn't sure he liked the scrutiny. "What about you?" Coulson finally asked. "What kind of 'demons' do you have?"

May's words resurfaced in his mind: _'You can't undo what's been done. That will be with you forever.'_ His demons... "I've far too many to count, Agent Coulson," he said, covering his thoughts with a wry smirk. "And I'd prefer them to remain my own business."

Coulson said nothing, simply staring him down. After finally realizing that he would get no more out of Loki, though, he left.

Loki's gaze remained toward the door even after the agent was long gone. He was slowly realizing just how much it meant to him, staying here, among these people. But too much had happened, and deep down, he knew he wouldn't receive any kind of forgiveness, nor did he deserve it. He'd led an attack on this world, aiming to invade with an alien army, even if the intent was not his own. He'd been responsible for countless deaths, countless injuries, and he himself had been the one to wield the scepter that pierced Agent Coulson's heart. There was no going back from that.

He would never be one of them.

 _ **X**_

Coulson looked at the team as they watched the video feed. "At 0800 hours, three men infiltrated Havenworth Federal Penitentiary," he told them.

"Infiltrated?" Skye asked. "More like cannonballed."

"They were in and out in less than two minutes," Coulson continued. "Left no prints at the scene, but we do have one lead." He zoomed the image in, showing the device on one of the men's arm.

"Centipede," Ward said, looking over at Coulson.

Coulson nodded grimly. "Seems they salvaged some of their research from Hong Kong."

"So we were right," Simmons said. "Chan's platelets solved the combustion problem. Now they can create super soldiers with no fear of explosion!"

Everyone stared at her for a moment before Fitz said, "Maybe don't get so excited about it."

"Two of Centipede's labs have been destroyed, but they keep popping back up," Coulson continued. "Now they have at least three of these guys, maybe more."

"Who'd they break out?" May asked.

"Edison Po, former marine, expert in tactics and rapid response," Coulson responded. He swiped an image of the man up on the screen. "He fell off the grid in '08, reappeared eighteen months ago at a diner in Boston."

"Where he stabbed a friend's eyes out," Ward read from the screen, looking over at the lead agent.

"With a steak knife, then finished his meal."

"That's funny," Skye said, looking back up at the screen. "Po doesn't look crazy." At everyone's expression, she added, "I'm kidding! This guy's a walking mug shot."

"Which means he shouldn't be too hard to track down," Coulson stated. "Finding Po and these Centipede soldiers is a top priority."

"I have an idea, but you're probably not gonna like it," Skye started. "So... Loki read the Centipede file, and he was there in Hong Kong, so—"

"No," Coulson cut her off.

She frowned. "Isn't he our best shot, though? These Centipede guys are crazy strong. I feel like we need all the help we can get."

"That's why S.H.I.E.L.D. is sending in someone to help," Coulson argued.

"What team did they send for backup?" Ward asked.

"Not a team," Coulson replied. "A person. Someone who can help us fight fire with fire."

"Somebody we worked with before?" Skye asked. It was clear she wasn't happy he shut her down, but he wasn't letting Loki out in the field if he could help it. The last few times he'd gone with them were either by necessity or chance, and while he hadn't done anything then, that didn't mean that he wouldn't turn on them when he thought the time was right. Coulson wasn't going to risk that.

"Not exactly," he answered. "Remember Mike Peterson?"

Everyone looked at each other nervously while Skye's eyebrows shot up. "Really? You're not trusting the guy that saved our asses multiple times, but you're okay with the guy that flipped out on everyone, kidnapped me, and almost blew up?" She looked at the others. "Come on, I can't be the only one thinking this!"

"Well," Simmons began. "Loki _has_ been helpful in the past..."

"Even if I wanted to—which I don't—the order has already been put through. And remember that most of S.H.I.E.L.D.doesn't even know about Loki. His presence here, especially now that he's supposed to be dead, is a secret, and I think having him in the field with Mr. Peterson would give him away," Coulson said, and that was the final word on the matter.

 _ **X**_

"Skye's right, you know," May said, to Coulson's immense surprise. The two were standing in the hangar, waiting for Mike Peterson to arrive.

"You're not telling me you trust him," the man said incredulously.

May shook her head. "No, but at least we know him. We can predict what he might do out in the field. We only know what S.H.I.E.L.D. has told us about Peterson."

"Like I said before, the order has been put through, and he's on his way," Coulson told her. "Not much we can do about that now." He paused. "You should probably know that Skye is trying to ID the agent that dropped her off at the orphanage." At May's questioning look, he added, "We agreed to protect her from the truth, so I told her you were looking into it. She may come to you."

May gave him a quick glare, but she didn't have much time to argue, with Mike making his way up the ramp. "One mistake at a time," she said simply.

"Agent Coulson," Mike greeted with a smile. "Agent May."

May looked at him for a second before leaving. "Last time you saw her, you threw her into a brick wall." Not to mention she was peeved at Coulson, but he wasn't about to share that piece of information.

"Right..." Mike said. "First time around, I wasn't who I wanted to be," he explained. "But now I get it. Having all this, it's a privilege. And training to be an agent, working with S.H.I.E.L.D., it's me trying to do better, trying to _be_ better. I just need you to give me a shot."

Coulson studied him before taking a step closer. He might not be their best choice, but he was better than the alternative, by far. "Everyone deserves a second chance," he told him. _Well, mostly everyone,_ he mentally amended. "But let me be clear: there will not be a third."

"Understood, sir," Mike said.

"Good." As the man went to enter the plane, Coulson stopped him. "One more thing, Mr. Peterson. Don't go near the Cage."

"Why—?"

"Just don't go near it," Coulson repeated. He'd said it earlier, Loki's presence was a secret. And as much as Coulson would enjoy seeing Loki dragged to Asgard by a raging Thor, he intended to keep that secret.

 _ **X**_

"It's not good. At all," Ward said, watching the video Skye had taken of him ages ago. "The guy was a ticking time bomb. Literally."

"HQ wouldn't have sent him if he was still combustible," Fitz reasoned. "They must have found a way to stabilize him."

"They stabilize his attitude?" Ward asked. "Because he was pretty hostile in Union Station."

"Well, it's not like we haven't opened our doors to other people. People with questionable track records," Simmons pointed out. She looked at Skye, but the latter took comfort in the knowledge that she wasn't the only one the scientist was talking about.

"Not cool," she responded. "But true." She glanced down at the button to the speaker, wondering whether she should turn it on. "Some of us more willing than others."

"No, I think he wants to be here," Fitz pointed out. "He came back, didn't he?"

"Guys!" Ward said. "We're getting off track, here. We're talking about Mike. Not Loki. And I still don't like having him here."

"Mike or Loki?" At the glare she received, Skye sighed. "Don't worry about Mike. He's a good guy."

"I thought you said—"

"I was making a point..." Skye muttered.

"He's also been in the Centipede program," Simmons added, trying to steer the conversation back in its original direction.

Skye nodded, relieved. "Exactly. He can give us the superpower backup we need."

"Just saying, this could easily go sideways," Ward warned. "I mean, the last time we saw this guy, he was a raging, homicidal maniac—" At everyone's silence, he paused. "He's standing right behind me, isn't he?" The others nodded.

"Mr. Peterson," Coulson began. "This is Agent Grant Ward. He's the man who shot you at Union Station. Fitz-Simmons designed the weapon he used, and I think you remember..." He motioned to Skye.

"Kidnap victim," the young woman joked.

Mike laughed. "You joined S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Yeah," Skye replied with a nod. "Turns out, guys in suits... not so bad."

"Look, I know Union Station could have gone another way," Mike began. "Another team might not have let me out of there alive. I owe you. All of you."

Skye smiled. "That's bygones and water under a distant bridge far away. How's your son?"

"Still with my sister," Mike replied. "He thinks I'm working construction, but he's good. Happy."

"So, what do we have?" Coulson asked, and that was the end of pleasant conversation. All business. When the plan was set, Coulson left the room.

"Hey, Ward?" Skye called before the agent could follow. "For the record... Pretty sure we collect 'raging, homicidal maniacs'." He rolled his eyes before leaving, cause Skye to laugh. Simmons smiled and Fitz shook his head with a chuckle. Mike looked confused at all of them, but no one decided to elaborate.

 _ **X**_

Mike frowned slightly to himself as he sat on the couch. No one was willing to explain what Skye meant, but she and Fitz-Simmons couldn't stop smiling about it. It had taken a while for Skye to stop giggling.

And Coulson had said something about not going near the Cage... but no one explained that, either. He knew he really shouldn't look into it. Coulson had _told_ him there wouldn't be a third chance. But it had to be important, right? Besides, just a little peek wouldn't hurt anyone...

With that thought, he stood, walking down the halls until he came to the door he quickly determined led to the Cage. He reached for the handle, but he did not expect what he saw inside.

 _ **X**_

Loki had resigned himself to once again counting the tiles in the room. He really had to remember to ask someone for a book or something. With any luck, he could ask Skye or Fitz-Simmons. He'd little doubt they'd find something he could use to occupy his time.

Almost as if on cue to his thoughts, he heard the door begin to open. He looked up from his seat in the chair. "Mike Peterson," he observed when he saw the man in the doorway. "I must admit, I did not expect to see you."

The mortal seemed too stunned to speak for a long time. Loki just raised a brow expectantly, waiting. He really had to know the story behind this. "You're Loki," Peterson finally said. Loki could already predict the next words out of his mouth. "Loki of Asgard, burdened with glorious purpose?"

He really wished that would stop. Regardless, he put on a pleasant expression. "That I am. So tell me, Mr. Peterson, what are you doing here with this team? The last I knew, you were training in some S.H.I.E.L.D. facility to gain a full grasp on the abilities Centipede gave you."

"How... How do you know that?" Peterson asked.

"The file on Centipede was quite detailed," he replied. "You were a guinea pig of theirs in the early stages of experimentation, before the serum was stabilized." He glanced at the Centipede device still on Peterson's arm. "How have you managed to not combust thus far?"

Mike's eyes darted to the cuffs around Loki's wrist, and he must have gotten some sense that Loki wasn't much of a threat, because he replied, "I don't really think I have to tell you."

Loki almost laughed. This mortal had gall, he'd give him that. "On the contrary," he informed him. "As I've been with this team much longer than you have, and have been kept informed about the Centipede investigation, I believe I have every right to be told."

"If you were kept informed, then you'd know why I'm here," Peterson shot back, crossing his arms, and that caused Loki to pause. "Centipede resurfaced. Looks like they don't tell you as much as you think they do." He turned to leave, pausing at the door. "What are you even doing here? I thought you'd be rotting away in prison somewhere, after New York."

Loki replied with smirk. "I don't really think I have to tell you."

Without another word, Peterson was gone, door closed behind him. Loki would have to ask someone—most likely Skye—what was going on with Centipede as soon as he had the chance.

 _ **X**_

It was days before the door to the Cage opened again, but Loki didn't recognize either of the soldiers that rushed in. Each of them grabbed one of his arms and practically dragged him out the door. He didn't bother trying to escape, more focused on what was going on. There were several armed men and women on the Bus, people he assumed to be S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He made sure to keep his face expressionless. He doubted that whatever was happening was something good, and he wouldn't betray anything to these people he'd never met.

He passed Skye and Fitz-Simmons, sitting on the couches, looking distraught. As he did, Skye looked at him and managed to say, "They took Coulson." He stiffened at that, though the agents 'escorting' him didn't slow down. He found himself in the briefing room, where a woman stood facing the screen. When they finally stopped, he wrenched free of the grips of the agents. They raised their weapons in response, but he was unfazed.

The woman turned, studying him for a moment with piercing eyes. "You must be Loki," she stated. There was no question or doubt in her voice.

He studied her in return. High posture, commanding tone... She must be the agent running point on this investigation to get Coulson back. Assuming that's what they were there for. "I'm afraid I haven't had the pleasure," he responded simply.

"Agent Victoria Hand," she told him. "And from this point forward, you work for me."

 **And that's that. Not a lot in here, I know, but again, Loki didn't play a very big role. I'm sorry for that scene in the middle that's pretty much a copy of the scene where they're talking about Mike in the briefing room, but there were a few lines in relation to Loki that had to be said, and I didn't want to just throw them in without scene context. You probably noticed that I glossed over the second half of that scene until the end. Literally the first line that popped into my head when I was getting ready to write this chapter was "Pretty sure we collect raging homicidal maniacs." So I needed a way to fit that in there.**

 **The next chapter may take a little while because Loki plays a** _ **huge**_ **role in that, meaning, y'know, long chapter. It might not take as long as I currently expect, because of how excited I am to write it, but with school starting up in a few days, I might get a little busy. Maybe not overly, since it's the first few days of the semester, but you never know.**

 **And finally, a big thanks to pokemon fan 98 for being my very patient beta. While this one didn't take too long after the last chapter, I'm sure you all noticed the month it took me to get to the last one. So I would like to thank her for being patient with me on that, and for being patient enough to go through and find all my ridiculous and stupid little typos (there were, like, nine, which is a lot, especially for a chapter this short).**

 **See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~**


	11. Find Agent Coulson

**Here it is! The chapter I've been excited to write for a very,** _ **very**_ **long time! This does so many things for the progression of the plot and we're finally,** _ **finally**_ **getting to the really good stuff! (And when Loki gets his suit... if you've seen Ragnarok, you can probably picture exactly what it looks like) So, without further ado...**

 **Disclaimer: refer to chapter 1**

Loki watched as the agents around him milled about. Ever since he had been removed from the Cage, after his brief meeting with Agent Hand, he'd been kept in this more secluded part of the Bus. They didn't keep him in the Cage anymore because apparently they might need that on a regular basis, so it was easier to have him elsewhere with a perpetual guard than to remove him every time.

Coulson had been gone for about thirty-six hours, and Loki wasn't entirely sure what that meant for both their odds at finding him, and his odds of survival. On Asgard, he would expect him to be held until some sort of ransom was given. Perhaps injured quite badly, but at least still alive. Had he been taken to Jotunnheim, he would no doubt be immediately executed, but here... Midgard was a realm of much variety. He wasn't entirely sure of Centipede's intentions, and it was frustrating him to no end that no one would give him any kind of update.

Despite all he'd done to help, Coulson still hated him. Loki knew that. Regardless, he still wanted the agent back. And he wanted to help.

Of course, being under constant surveillance by people who didn't trust him nearly as far as they could throw him made that quite difficult.

 _ **X**_

May watched as Skye and Ward left. She'd seen the hurt and betrayal in Skye's eyes, but she had nothing to say, especially with Hand right there. But Skye wouldn't get any work done with all of these agents around. There was one more thing she could do to help, though.

Making her way quickly down to the lab, she walked over to Simmons. "Simmons," she said, reaching into her pocket. Simmons looked over at her, and it was clear she wasn't happy. She must have gotten the news about what May said. "I need you to look after something for me." She pulled a small key out of her pocket and handed it to her. It was the only copy they had on the Bus now, the other with Coulson. Wherever he was.

"Is this—?" Simmons began, cutting off when May gave her a curt nod. Without another word, she left to return to the briefing room. She had more work to do.

 _ **X**_

Skye was still fuming as she walked down the stairs. "It's clear that May has an axe to grind with me, but that was way out of line," Skye snapped.

"No one knows what's in May's head except May," Ward replied, following behind her. "Don't worry. Coulson will make this right when he gets back."

"I can find him, Ward," Skye insisted.

"I believe you," the agent assured. "I've seen firsthand what you can do, even without S.H.I.E.L.D. resources."

"Hang on, hang on," Fitz said as he and Simmons hurried over.

"We have something for you," Simmons said, handing her a paper bag.

Skye's brows furrowed. "You made me a sandwich?"

"Yes, that's right," Simmons said in that awkward tone that Skye knew meant she was lying. "It is that."

"It's a satellite phone, damper resistant," Fitz told her in a hushed voice. "You get one shot before your bracelet shuts it down."

"So only call in case of emergency," Simmons continued.

"What do I even need this for?" Skye asked skeptically. "I'm gonna be spending the next three days in a S.H.I.E.L.D. broom closet getting debriefed."

"That's right," Ward said with a nod. "A few agents are coming here to pick you up for debriefing. In exactly twelve minutes. Good luck." He turned to walk away, as did Fitz, but Simmons paused.

"You can do this," she said quietly, grabbing Skye's hand. Skye felt her press something small and metal into her palm. When Simmons let go and left with Fitz, she looked down to see a small key. She'd seen this key before, back when Hutchins...

Skye glanced at her watch. Eleven and a half minutes. She could pull this off. Right?

 _ **X**_

To say Loki was surprised to see his guards rush off would be an understatement. He was just as surprised to Skye peek around the corner, walking over to him when the coast was clear. She was carrying that damn S.H.I.E.L.D. hoodie, though her right hand was closed around something. When she reached him, she opened her hand to reveal the key to his cuffs.

"How did you—?"

"Shh! Questions later, we only have, like, a minute left before those guys realize that emergency was a false alarm," she said, freeing him and shoving the hoodie at him. "Now quick, put this on. Maybe we can sneak you out if no one sees your face."

"If we're really that lucky," Loki muttered.

 _ **X**_

They really were that lucky. They managed to make it off the Bus without incident, though they had to take the occasional detour. They knew the exact moment those guards had returned, but in all the confusion when the alarms went off, no one noticed the two slip away.

"So, tell me Skye, did you have any plan beyond this?" he asked once they were far enough away. Loki had kept his hood up to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention.

"The plan is to trace Vanchat's finances," she told him. "He sells the same type of Chitauri metal that Centipede uses, there has to be some connection. So I figure—"

"If you can figure out where the money is going, you can find out where they're hiding?" Loki guessed.

"Right," Skye replied with a nod. "And if we're lucky, that's also where they're keeping Coulson."

"Mm, and how do you plan to do that while that is on your wrist?" the alien asked, looking pointedly at the metal band around Skye's wrist.

She shrugged. "Well, you could always type for me."

"I'm afraid you'd have to walk me through more of the process than we have time for," he warned. At her confused look, he added, "No computers on Asgard."

"Yeah, but didn't you like, alien mind-meld with that scientist guy?" Skye asked.

Loki let out a small laugh. "Selvig? I wouldn't call it an 'alien mind-meld', but yes, I did see into his mind, as with other agents. With the scepter gone and the connection broken, however, most of that knowledge has left me, as well."

"Well, that sucks," Skye stated. She glanced around before spotting something. "We could try an internet café."

"Surrounded by so many machines that you could easily end up in range of by accident?" Loki asked skeptically.

She crossed her arms. "Do you have a better idea?"

He simply shook his head before following her across the street and into the building.

As Skye sat down at the computer, she held her right hand as far behind her as she could without seeming suspicious. Loki would have offered to hold it in place, but he knew that would only look even worse. As it was, all he could really do was look over her shoulder and watch as she began to type.

Almost immediately, however, the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia appeared on the screen, the work 'LOCKDOWN' appearing below it. The two looked at each other, ignoring the irritated voices around them.

"It appears we're going to need a plan B," Loki stated.

"You think?" Skye muttered as she stood, leaving the building with the God of Mischief close behind.

 _ **X**_

"Perhaps it might be a good idea for me to learn my way around a computer when this is over with," Loki said offhandedly as they walked, looking for inspiration for a new plan.

"Just let me know when," Skye replied, seeing a newspaper stand. Without a word, she grabbed a Wealth magazine, flipping through it, Loki looking over her shoulder. She stopped on an article about a man named Lloyd Rathman. "He's our ticket in."

Loki raised a brow. "Care to explain?" he asked.

"Just follow my lead." She set the magazine down, but before she started to move again, she stopped and looked at something across the street. Loki followed her gaze to see a clothing store, a mannequin in the window. She headed over to the store, and once again, Loki wasn't far behind. He wasn't usually a fan of following behind—he'd done that most of his life whenever Thor dragged him wherever he wished—but as Skye knew more about this world that he did, he had little choice.

Skye went to talk to the woman at the counter, and he had a feeling she was asking about the clothes the mannequin wore. Loki, however, walked further through the store. He needed something, _anything_ to replace this sweatshirt.

He looked briefly through the men's section until he came across formal wear. Just what he wanted...

Minutes later had them walking out of the store, Skye carrying a bag with her purchase while Loki wore his: a simple black suit with a black shirt underneath, complete with a black tie.

"Overdoing it, much?" Skye asked with a raised brow.

He simply smirked. "I much prefer this to that ridiculous sweatshirt, and believe it may also serve our purpose better."

She sighed. "Alright, let's just go." She began to walk, but this time, Loki made more of an effort to stay by her side rather than behind.

It didn't take them long to find their target, watching him leave the car. As soon as he was out of sight, Skye turned to Loki with a look that told him to just play along.

"Listen to me, it was a private jet," she told him in a haughty tone, walking toward the car. "There was wi-fi, you should have at least texted her back."

He rolled his eyes, playing along. "As though I had time. I barely had the opportunity to sleep with how much work I had to get done before we landed."

"How long does a simple 'on my way, see you soon' take?" Skye shot back, moving around to the driver's side. "For that, you're sitting in the back."

"I'm not a child," he argued, though he opened the door to the backseat rather than the passenger door. He knew what she was doing. Even with this suit on, he could very well still be recognizable should the wrong person look into the car. The back windows, though, were tinted. No chance of being spotted and recognized back there.

As soon as Skye sat down, closing her door and tossing her bag into the passenger seat, she started the car and drove.

"Why did he not take his keys with him?" he asked.

"He was expecting a valet," Skye answered. "Someone to park his car for him. We just got to it first."

"It's a wonder more people don't get their cars stolen," he commented.

"Right? Now hold on, gimme a minute." She began messing with the screen on the console, and Loki leaned forward to see. Just as with the computer in the café, however, she was once again locked out by S.H.I.E.L.D.. "Dammit," she muttered. She pulled over. "Okay, plan C..."

"I assume you were looking for this man's house?" Loki guessed. "Perhaps there might be another way to find out. Someone with this much wealth, I would imagine, has more than one way to be given directions."

Skye nodded, looking up. She smiled, putting the car back into gear. "Hope you're wearing your seatbelt," she said, accelerating.

"What are you—?" He was cut off when the car abruptly stopped, causing him to slam into the seat in front of him. "Ow..." he muttered.

"Roadside assistance," a voice said from the front of the car, and Skye motioned for him to be quiet before he could ask. "We see you've had an accident."

"Yeah," Skye confirmed. "Can you send somebody to tow me back to my house?"

 _Clever,_ Loki thought. If they couldn't find their way there, then they could get someone else to take them.

"Of course," the voice said. "I'll dispatch someone right away. Are you okay?"

Skye nodded with a small smile. "Yeah. I'm good." After a moment passed and there was nothing more from the voice from roadside assistance, she turned to look back at Loki. "You need to get in the trunk."

"What?" he asked incredulously.

"Someone's coming to take this back to Rathman's house, and I don't want to try to explain what the God of Mischief is doing in the backseat," she argued.

She had a point. Loki hated that she had a point. "Very well," he muttered, opening the door. Skye pressed a button and the trunk popped open and, grumbling his annoyance, Loki climbed in.

 _ **X**_

By the time they arrived, Loki had decided that he was never riding inside a trunk again, no matter the reason. It felt like ages before the car finally stopped. Skye and the man who towed the vehicle were talking, but he couldn't understand them through the walls of the car.

After he heard the other car drive away, the door to the trunk opened and he climbed out, glaring at Skye as he dusted himself off. "Never. Again."

Skye only laughed before pressing a button on a small device, opening the garage door. "Come on," she said, going inside. When they reached the study, Skye walked over to the desk, scowling when she looked down at the phone, eyes darting from it to her bracelet.

Loki walked over. "I'm sure I can work a phone. What do you want?"

"Go to phonebook," she told him, and he pressed the corresponding button. "Now office." He did so, and they both waited as the phone rang.

"Lloyd Rathman's office," a woman's voice said on the other line.

"This is the LAPD," Skye said, beginning to rifle through Rathman's things. "I need to speak with Mr. Rathman. We've recovered a stolen vehicle registered in his name."

 _A vehicle we stole,_ Loki thought with a slight smirk.

"Oh," the woman on the phone said. "Was it damaged?"

"Yes, ma'am. We have two officers waiting at his home, ready to take a statement. How long do you think it'll take Mr. Rathman to get there?"

"Should be about... twenty minutes," the woman replied.

"Okay, thank you," Skye said before hanging up. "I'll be right back."

When she returned, Loki raised a brow. She was dressed exactly like the mannequin, along with a pair of sunglasses.

"So we're LAPD, are we?" Loki asked.

"Try S.H.I.E.L.D.," Skye replied. "I figure we scare him, make him think the government is onto his... less than legal activities. Offer him a deal, and in exchange he does what we want him to."

"Let's hope it's as simple as that," Loki commented.

 _ **X**_

They weren't waiting long before Rathman arrived home. The two stepped into view just as he was putting down his briefcase.

"You're in a lot of trouble, Mr. Rathman," Skye said.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Agent Melinda May," Skye told him. "With S.H.I.E.L.D." The corner of Loki's mouth twitched at that. Of all people... she could have just picked a random name, but she had to go with May.

Rathman was quiet for a moment, looking at Skye and Loki, no doubt wondering what they were doing there. "Look, clearly there's been a misunderstanding here," he said. "I'm a legitimate businessman."

Skye took off her sunglasses. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has evidence your company has been siphoning funds into an offshore account for some very bad people."

Loki quirked a brow. _Very bad people?_ Rathman looked at him, but the alien was certain he took the movement to mean he demanded an explanation.

"My clients' business is their business," he countered.

"Well, my business is catching those guys, and if it turns out you've made a profit from just one of them, S.H.I.E.L.D. is prepared to freeze all of your assets," Skye told him, and Loki was quite impressed with her act. She seemed nothing like the Skye he'd come to know.

"I'm calling my lawyer," Rathman said, pulling out his phone.

Loki smirked. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Mr. Rathman."

"And just who are you?" he asked.

Loki was actually surprised. He looked at Skye. "Well, it appears that not quite everyone remembers my face. I'm almost insulted." He looked back at Rathman. "I'm sure you've heard of the invasion of New York, the one staved off by the Avengers." As soon as the man nodded, he continued, "I am the one who led that invasion." He let his expression take on a darker, more intimidating tone, letting it seep into his voice, as well. "So, you insignificant mortal, you should really listen to Agent May if you know what's good for you."

"I have a one time offer for you," Skye told Rathman. "Full immunity. You walk, free and clear. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't touch a single asset. Not even your party boat in Key Largo."

"And if I say no?" Rathman asked.

"I'd advise against it," Loki said. "Some very... undesirable things might happen if you say no. To you, and to your family."

Rathman gulped. "Alright," he said, clearly trying to calm his nerves. Loki knew what the man saw. A monster. And while he didn't want to be a monster—he never had—sometimes the situation called for one. It was a role he was, quite literally, born to play "What do you want?"

"Follow me to your office," Skye said, already beginning to walk. "We've got some work to do." Loki followed, nodding his head sharply for Rathman to follow. The man hurried to catch up, though he seemed to trip for a second, grabbing the wall to steady himself before resuming his walk.

"I need to access the account of one of your clients," Skye told him when he reached his desk.

"You're asking me to hack it?" Rathman asked incredulously.

"Just need you to type in your private corporate ID to get me in the door," she told him testily. Very much like the real Melinda May.

Rathman's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, well, letting you in that door is a crime," he accused. "Come to think of it, how do I know you're not just some criminal? In my experience, a federal agent shows a badge."

"You wanna see my badge?" Skye asked. She grabbed the cell phone on the desk and put it to her ear. Loki imagined it was already being locked down by S.H.I.E.L.D., and that insignia, as long as he didn't look too long, should be enough to fool him. "S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol Six Alpha Victor." She held the phone out to Rathman, and sure enough, there was the slowly spinning S.H.I.E.L.D. eagle. "There. That's my badge."

As Rathman's eyes drifted to Loki, albeit more hesitantly, he wore a grin that had struck fear in the hearts of many during the invasion. "They don't trust me with a badge," he told Rathman, who quickly looked away.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been watching you for quite some time, Mr. Rathman," Skye told him, moving around to the other side of the desk. Loki remained by Rathman's side, and he could see it took everything the mortal had to keep from inching away. "You're a prime exploit," the young woman continued. "The gambling, the divorces, that money pit in the Caymans. You're even behind on your child support payments."

"That's... a clerical thing," Rathman said, now trying to ignore Loki. First Randolph, now Rathman... it seemed that if he pushed hard enough, people just tried to ignore he was there. Well, if he needed to step in, he could easily make Rathman remember. "My ex knows that."

"But does David know that?" Skye asked with a raised brow.

"David thinks I'm a cool dad," he defended.

"David thinks you're a jackass," she retorted. "You have to fix that, Lloyd. Kids need someone they can look up to. Now.. Start typing."

Before Rathman could make any kind of movement, however, a man in a tan uniform ran in. "Security! Don't move!" he yelled. Skye stepped away, raising her hands in surrender, and Loki did the same, already working out how to take him down if he needed to—non-lethally, of course. "That's it. Nice and easy. Keep your hands where I can—" He didn't get to finish as Skye grabbed his arm and flipped him. Then the other man ran in.

"On the ground!" he yelled, and Skye turned, having grabbed the first man's gun. Loki knew she didn't have the stomach to shoot it, but if need be, he could step in.

"O-Okay," Rathman stammered. "I-I'm typing. You S.H.I.E.L.D. guys don't mess around."

Skye looked at Loki. "Hey, Loki, mind taking care of these guys for me while I handle this?"

"Of course, Agent May," he said, smirking at the way they cowered. They, clearly, knew his name, and probably thought the worst about the words 'take care of them'. He grabbed a roll of duct tape and looked from the two men to the chairs behind them and back. They seemed to get the message fairly quickly, scrambling up and sitting. Loki casually strolled over, already unwinding a strip of tape to bind their arms to the chairs. And maybe their legs, for good measure.

He made quick work of it, and when he was done, he stood behind them, watching Skye and Rathman.

"Alright, we're logged in, but you do realize you can't transfer these kinds of funds online," Rathman was saying.

"I'm not looking to transfer funds," Skye told him. "I'm looking for transaction records." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Go to your account history. We need to open up a terminal emulator, see what kind of encryption they've got."

"Okay," Rathman told her, but he looked just as lost as Loki was.

Skye didn't seem to notice. "If it's an SSL 256 or an AES twofish serpent, we're in business. Quantum key is another story."

"Right," the mortal said, but once again, it seemed it was all going in one ear and out the other.

"Lloyd!" Skye snapped, trying to get his attention again. "What is happening here?" she asked when he didn't do anything with the computer but stare at it.

"Yeah," Rathman said. "Account history, where is that?"

She sighed, looking over at the guards. "You," she said to one of them. "Over here." She looked at Loki. "Let him go."

He simply removed the tape, giving the man a 'light' push toward the desk as Skye sent Rathman over to the chair to replace him.

"Sit," Loki said simply, and he complied immediately. He kept an eye on both of their prisoners while Skye led the guard through the process she needed. He wouldn't understand any of it anyway, not yet.

"Print that," he finally heard her say.

Loki tilted his head ever so slightly. "Do we have what we need?"

"I think so," she replied with a nod. "Follow me."

"Wait!" Rathman called. "Are we done here?"

Skye paused before going back to the desk and grabbing a letter opener. "One last thing," she said as she began to cut the duct tape. "I'm gonna need a car."

Rathman glared, but when Loki took a step in his direction, giving off a threatening air, he said, "Keys by the door."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Rathman," Skye told him. "And don't worry. You won't be hearing from S.H.I.E.L.D. again." With that, she and Loki left the room, Skye grabbing the keys on her way out. Once they were in the car, a black convertible, Skye pulled out of the garage as fast as she could.

"You know where Centipede is holding Coulson, then?" Loki asked.

"I have a pretty good idea, at least." She glanced over at him. "Probably a good idea to put your seatbelt on."

He did without another word.

 _ **X**_

"This might be a personal question," Skye started, about ten minutes into their drive. "But why are you so willing to help get Coulson back? Not that I'm not grateful or anything, it's awesome to have some backup, but... he hates you, right? So why go to all this trouble?"

Loki was silent for a long time, and Skye didn't think he was going to answer. "This is the first place I've truly felt like I could belong," he finally replied. "I have a place here, a purpose. I'm not just the second prince of Asgard, under the shadow of Thor, the true heir. While I may be branded a criminal, here... I might have the chance to change all that. I don't have a millennium of history among the humans to try to undo. And besides... I owe him."

"Because you killed him?"

"There is that," the God of Mischief conceded. "But I was referring to the fact that he's let me stay here. He could have tried to contact Asgard at any time, to get the message to Thor, somehow, that I was still alive. He could have left me at Asgard's mercy, but he didn't. While it's true that I've most likely been nothing but a tool to him..."

"There's a chance you could change that?" Skye guessed.

He nodded. "A slim one, but yes." He was quiet for a long time, and considering how much he'd already told her, he was either done with sharing, or working himself up to telling her something else. "Despite Coulson's opinion of me, S.H.I.E.L.D. has felt like more of a home to me than Asgard has in a long time. I don't want to give that up, but with Hand in charge..."

"Everything you've worked for would be for nothing."

"Exactly."

 _ **X**_

It wasn't long after Loki shared far more than he'd intended to when Skye pulled a phone out of her pocket.

"I thought you couldn't use those," Loki stated, surprised. "That that bracelet would lock you out."

"Specially made," Skye answered. "I get one use." She dialed quickly, and once the other line picked up, she said, "Simmons, it's me." There was a pause, and Loki assumed Simmons was saying something on the other end. "Is someone there? God, don't try to lie, you are the worst at this. Remember our safe word."

'Safe word?' Loki mouthed, but it went unnoticed.

"Listen up," Skye said. "We might have a lead on where Centipede's holding Coulson." Pause. "They purchased a small place, middle of the desert. Doesn't sound like somewhere they'd set up a lab, but it's out in the middle of nowhere, where no one would think to look. Loki and I are on our way."

A desert. Wonderful.

 _ **X**_

When they arrived, the place looked deserted, save for the several mannequins placed everywhere.

"Creepy, much?" Skye muttered.

Loki had to agree with her there. "We should split up," he told her. "Cover more ground. If Coulson's here, we're likely to find him faster."

"Right," she said with a nod, but she didn't look as confident as she was trying to sound. "And if Centipede has some soldiers around here?"

"Yell for me, and I'll find you," he replied.

"I don't think yelling with be a problem," she muttered, starting off in one direction. Loki began walking the opposite way.

The buildings were old and run down, with large gaps between the boards. It wasn't difficult to look inside without even touching the door. Yet all he could see were mannequins. No Coulson.

It didn't take long before he heard Skye yell. He immediately took off in the direction he heard her from, but by the time he arrived, a S.H.I.E.L.D. van was just pulling up, hitting the soldier and landing him on his back, several feet away.

"We have to keep looking," Skye said as he approached. "Splitting up again sounds like our best idea." She looked at Loki. "Like you said, we'll find him faster."

Loki was about to agree when he saw another Centipede soldier approaching behind the agents. "I suggest you hurry," he told them. They turned to follow his gaze.

"I'll take care of this," Ward said, reaching into the pocket of his vest. He pulled out a small device, but Loki grabbed his wrist.

"Let me," he said. "A blow from this man could shatter your skull. The most it would do is rattle mine. So go. Find Agent Coulson."

Ward seemed to hesitate for a moment before handing him the device. He gave him a nod before turning to search.

"Strap it around his wrist," Simmons told him. "It will inject straight into the device that refills the serum, and incapacitate the soldier."

Loki nodded in understanding before turning to the approaching soldier. He sauntered toward him, wishing, not for the first time, that he was armed, preferably with some sort of knife or dagger.

The soldier raised his fist to punch, but before he could, Loki was already moving in, hitting the man low in the gut before spinning out of the way to avoid a counterattack. Any normal mortal would be doubled over for several seconds before being able to recover, but this soldier responded as though the hit were nothing. He was reminded of the days when Thor would drag him down to the training pits.

Lovely.

The soldier somehow managed to grab his arm and flipped him over his head, causing him to land hard on his back. Before a booted foot could meet his face, he rolled, on his feet in an instant, taking a proper fighting stance. He knew this was going to be more difficult than fighting an average mortal—which would have been simple—but he hadn't expected this much resistance. He hadn't truly fought like this, unarmed, in quite some time, so he was a little out of practice, and he had to make sure that he didn't kill the man, either. He wasn't entirely sure that would go over well with the others, and after everything he worked for, he wasn't about to blow it with one single mistake.

Granted, they'd hit one of them with a car, but that was somewhat of an emergency.

Parrying the next hit to the side, he spun, using his momentum to send what he hoped would be a skull-rattling strike to the temple.

He smirked as the soldier had to pause, leaning over a second to get his bearings. No matter how strong one was, a hit to the temple would always do damage. He took the opportunity to slip behind the man, pulling the arm with the Centipede device pinned behind his back. For good measure, he pushed, going down behind him until he had him pinned to the ground, knees pressed tightly against the man's ribs to prevent escape while he attached the device he'd been given. Once he was sure the man was down, he stood.

That was more frustrating than he had hoped for. Now, time to assist in the search for Coulson.

 _ **X**_

He'd followed the scream, as he was sure everyone else had, to find Skye and May. Skye was standing over Coulson, who lay on a table, in some sort of machine. His face was shining with sweat, and he seemed... unwell.

Coulson was shaking, muttering something to Skye that he couldn't hear, but he picked up on the tone easily. Scared. Broken. He remembered both of those feelings well. He gave May a single nod once she looked at him before turning on his heel and leaving the building. He doubted Coulson's feelings toward him had changed during his... absence, especially when he'd no idea what Loki had done for him. So he knew that the agent probably didn't want him to see him in such a state of weakness.

When he walked out the door, he saw the others gathered, about to enter, but he shook his head. "I'd give them a minute," he told them before walking toward the van they had arrived in.

 _ **X**_

Loki watched from his spot next to the others in the lab as Coulson spoke with Agent Hand. Everything was back to normal now. Coulson was back, Agent Hand and all her soldiers would be off the plane, the rest of the team could relax, and Loki... He'd little doubt he'd be sent straight back into the Cage.

A large part of him was glad that everything was okay. But another part held onto that feeling of assisting the others, of being a part of something. It was something he'd miss. He probably wouldn't have the chance to feel anything like that for a long time, if ever.

Once Hand was gone, the others were rushing over to Coulson, but Loki stayed where he was. From what little he'd been able to hear, Centipede had been trying to find out how the man had been brought back from the dead. Loki was pretty sure the last person Coulson would want to see was the one who caused all of that in the first place.

On that note, he slipped out of the lab, behind the others, up the stairs, and down a familiar hall. Once again, he'd prefer to shut himself inside.

 _ **X**_

It wasn't much long after that that Coulson entered the Cage.

"Come to replace my shackles?" Loki asked.

To his surprise, Coulson didn't move. In fact, the first words out of his mouth were, "Nice suit."

"It seemed to better fit our needs outside the Bus," Loki stated.

Coulson nodded slightly, thoughtfully. "I heard what you did. With Skye."

"How we escaped captivity under close watch of several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents?"

"How you risked yourself to save me." That shut Loki up. He honestly hadn't expected that they'd be having this conversation. "You were uncuffed, off the Bus, with Skye as your only supervision. You could have run. Taken off and never looked back. So why stay, when this was what was waiting for you when you got back?"

Loki was quiet. Over the past several days, he'd opened up to three different people. Granted, not one of them had every piece of information, but still. To put his past and his feelings into words was so foreign to him. But he'd been honest with Skye, he wanted to belong. He hadn't dared admit it to himself for a long time, for fear of losing it all, but this place was home. It was why he'd returned after he faked his death. He might even consider this team his family, if he thought on it long enough. "I've never had anywhere I truly fit in. A misfit on Asgard. A runt of a Frost Giant. I may be a criminal here, and I know I've done several unforgivable things, not the least of which having been killed you." He looked Coulson in the eye. "But regardless of all that, I... I want to do better. I want to _be_ better. You needn't believe me if you don't want to, but this place... I consider it my home now. The one place I might someday belong."

This time it was Coulson's turn to be quiet. "You know," he finally said. "I think that's the most honest you've ever been with me." Another moment of silence. "Thank you. For helping save me."

Loki simply nodded in response, watching Coulson leave. The agent stopped in the doorway. "I still don't like you, you know."

The God of Mischief gave a small, amused smile. "I'm aware." And without another word, the agent left.

But to Loki's surprise, he never closed the door.

 **I love this chapter** _ **so**_ **much! I had more fun writing this than any of the others (not that the others weren't fun, of course!) I actually got a little excited about writing this. I wrote the whole thing in two days, immediately after finishing chapter 10, but I wanted to space out my uploads a little bit so we (hopefully) don't end up in another situation where I leave you guys hanging for a month.**

 **Big thanks, once again, to pokemon fan 98, my beta. Thank you again, friend, for catching all my little errors.**

 **See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~**


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